By Logan B. Anderson

DOVER — A nonprofit group aimed at helping other organizations and communities through technology is turning its attention to Delaware’s workforce — and hoping to make a big impact.

Philadelphia-based Tech Impact has partnered with the Delaware Department of Labor to provide 500 Delawareans with access to education opportunities that could lead to high-paying jobs in the information technology field.

“That’s everything from your IT help desk support positions to application development positions, software testing and cyber security, as well. It’s quite an extensive list of jobs that we are going to be training for,” said Patrick Callihan, Tech Impact executive director.

Through the partnership with the state, Tech Impact received $6 million that it will use to place 500 Delaware residents in IT training and certification programs. The initiative is part of the U.S. Department of Labor’s H-1B One Workforce Grant Program. The project will be funded through June 2025.

Tech Impact will use the funding, a portion of Delaware’s recently announced $9 million workforce investment allocation, as an intermediary with the state’s workforce system, and will be responsible for recruiting applicants, helping participants build soft skills while they learn their new trade, and then connecting them to employers, in partnership with Delaware’s IT Industry Council.

The One Workforce grant program provides free training for eligible residents 18 years or older who have their GED or high school diploma and want to launch a career in technology.

Delaware State University is also on board with the plan and will provide some of the training along with Tech Impact.

With financial support by banking group Barclays, Tech Impact recently opened a training center in the city of Wilmington called the Tech Impact Opportunity Center. The group will use the center to train some of the future IT professionals it selects.

Mr. Callihan said he wants to target those in underserved communities to apply to join the program.

“This is a great opportunity. It is incredibly mission aligned. We have been working very hard over the last few years to develop an inclusive tech-talent pipeline, reaching underrepresented folks. Right now, the rate of employment in technology for women is very low and for Blacks and Latinx it’s even lower.”

The program could make a large impact on the lives of its participants.

“At the lowest end, you are talking $35,000 to $40,000 a year jobs. At the highest, some are six figures. It is an incredible opportunity,” Mr. Callihan said.

According to Mr. Callihan, the information technology sector is growing in the First State. Proof that tech jobs are in Delaware can be seen in the other groups Tech Impact has brought on board to their effort.

Tech Elevator, a coding and career prep bootcamp focused on full-stack software development, is opening a training center at 824 North Market Street in North Wilmington. Code Differently, located along the Wilmington Riverfront, offers a variety of coding classes, and The Precisionists, also in New Castle County, focuses on training and job creation for individuals across a broad range of disabilities. Each of these program’s tuition costs will be covered under this grant.

Anyone 18 or older, who has a GED or high school diploma and is interested in a career in information technology should visit, www.techhiredelaware.org and connect directly with a representative from Tech Impact. Along with students, Tech Impact is also seeking advisors, mentors and employers that want to help in accomplishing the goals of the program.

Tech Impact’s mission to improve the world through technology aligns with this initiative in lifting up 500 Delawareans that will then contribute to the local economy, thereby lifting others.