CHICAGO – Dec 16, 2022
Ten of Chicago’s largest employers—including United Airlines, JPMorgan Chase and Allstate—are teaming up to make better use of apprenticeships to tackle two problems that have long plagued the tech industry: a shortage of talent and inequality of opportunity.
CHICAGO – New Profit, a venture philanthropy organization, has awarded $1 million to support i.c.stars’ priorities including technology training, leadership development, career readiness, and job placement for young adults from underserved communities.
“This incredible gift will help us scale the program,” said Sandee Kastrul, CEO and co-founder of I.c.stars, “so that we can respond to requests for training and help more young adults secure opportunities in the tech sector.”
“i.c.stars transforms the trajectory of individuals facing significant barriers to economic mobility by offering a combination of workforce skill training and intensive leadership development. Our financial investment and strategic support are aimed at helping them hone and execute their strategy to achieve greater impact, scale, and influence,” said Kevin Greer, New Profit Partner and Chief Administrative Officer, who recently joined the i.c.stars Board of Directors. “We […]
Molson Coors and i.c.stars develop a partnership that delivers
We spoke with Jonah Turner, head of emerging technologies for Molson Coors which is based in Chicago and Milwaukee. Turner works closely with i.c.stars to mentor and develop students—and provide a talent pipeline to Molson Coors.
You are a true believer in the power of the i.c.stars program and its participants. Why?
I joined Molson Coors during the pandemic. As the company was expanding from beer to beverages and growing its Milwaukee workforce, we were looking at unique ways to build our innovation and talent pipeline for IT. I was already a champion of i.c.stars having attended different events and being a workshop sponsor with my previous employer, so I knew that there would be significant value for Molson Coors to become a partner.
The participants going through the program are extremely dedicated, hardworking, and ambitious. Not only do they develop transferrable technical and leadership […]
HOBART — Northwest Indiana, and indeed the entire urbanized coast of Lake Michigan from South Bend to Milwaukee, is perfectly positioned to become a national and international center of technology and innovation.
That was the message delivered by a variety of speakers Thursday to more than 500 entrepreneurs, community advocates, and business and municipal officials during the annual One Region luncheon at Avalon Manor in Hobart.
MILWAUKEE — Diversity and inclusion is one of the biggest challenges facing the tech industry today. I.C. Stars has a mission to change that narrative.
Molson Coors Beverage Co. expanded its partnership with technology training nonprofit Inner-City Computer Stars (i.c.stars) this month by soliciting ideas from i.c.stars alumni for new innovation spaces in Molson Coors’ Chicago and Milwaukee corporate offices.
The alumni competed in small groups to present their ideas for the space, which all focused on cutting-edge technologies, according to a press release. Alumni students Angel Delgado and Khalil Hall won the competition on July 15.
I was born on Chicago’s South Side. I’m an artist, who loved writing stories and studied film at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I assumed I’d find a job in that area but found it’s not so easy to make a living as an artist! My cousin graduated from i.c.stars and told me about the program. He now had a great job in the IT department at DeVry. He told me to try, telling me that core IT principles could lead to countless positions in many different industries.
Technology is everywhere, in some way or another. Being comfortable with tech can be the start of anything you want to do. I applied to i.c.stars and started in cycle 31.
I.c.stars teaches technology through real-world applications. Combining high expectations with a high level of structure and support makes the work challenging but memorable. I pushed through and, when I finished, landed a […]
Technology Ambassadors Give Back To Their Commuities
“This is the i.c.stars vision: teaching IT skills and encouraging us to apply those skills in the community. We can be servant leaders in our neighborhoods and role models to the kids who live there now,” said Larry Cowans, i.c.stars Program Manager and Graduate.
i.c.stars’ mission is IT training and workforce development, addressing low-skill jobs and lack of opportunity in the inner-city. It’s also about sustaining this development by cultivating leaders who can drive change in their communities. Cohorts are encouraged to look around their neighborhoods and find ways to leverage their skills to benefit others. The i.c.stars Teachers Bureau is one example of that community impact.
“This is the i.c.stars vision: teaching skills and how to take those skills to help the community. So when the opportunity came to work with the Illinois Fatherhood Initiative, we were on it” […]
Chicago, June 6, 2022 — Inner-City Computer Stars (i.c.stars), an educational and workforce development organization offering technology training, leadership development, and career readiness support to inner-city young adults, announced today that it is partnering with OneTen, a coalition of leading executives and their companies who have committed to upskill, hire, and advance one million Black individuals over the next 10 years into family-sustaining jobs with opportunities for advancement.
As an endorsed talent developer, i.c.stars will join OneTen’s robust network to prepare and place Black individuals without four-year degrees into family-sustaining careers with America’s top employers, including American Express, Cisco, IBM, Walmart, and more.
“Working with OneTen, as a new friend and partner, we will increase access to technology training, opportunity, and career advancement for more Black Americans,” said Sandee Kastrul, i.c.stars president and co-founder. “We help employers see the value in non-traditional talent pipelines—and the value to their bottom line and our […]
