Co-designed recommendations for employers: equitable hiring practices, inclusive work culture, and continued upskilling support¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (1 for, 1 mixed) · 1 study (1 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Worker and learner participants co-designed recommendations for employers across awareness, training access, equitable recruitment and hiring, and career entry, advancement, and retention. Recommendations include creating "a welcoming, inclusive, trusting, and multicultural environment," implementing "nondiscriminatory and fair recruitment and hiring practices (e.g., decrease nepotism)," having "entry-level job opportunities without years of experience requirements," recognizing micro-credentials, and providing "stipends for continuous upskilling."

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Employers must build partnerships with education/training providers and maintain transparent, equitable hiring rubrics and promotion paths for the recommendations to function

Constraints¶

• Recommendations reflect the specific experiences of Black workers and learners in U.S. non-four-year-degree tech pathways and address systemic barriers in the tech industry hiring ecosystem

Target Learners¶

• Black workers and learners seeking to enter and advance in technology industry careers

Target Learning Goals¶

• Equitable hiring access, career entry, advancement, retention, and continuous upskilling in tech careers

Affordances¶

• Scct Chat Tech Pathway Framework

Claims¶

• Black jobseekers report biased applicant tracking systems, lengthy hiring processes, and entry-level postings requiring years of experience [+W]
• Cost, inflexible formats, and misalignment with goals or industry demand are reported barriers to educational and training opportunities [~W]

Related Strategies¶

• Provider Codesigned Tech Pathway Supports
• Three strategic actions: build awareness of underrepresentation, invest in accessible pathways, and prioritize retention strategies
• Support employee professional learning about AI through onboarding, transparency, direct tool access, and job-embedded training

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Bria Carter, Britney Jacobs, Zohal Shah, Chioma Aso-Hernandez. (2024). Lift Every Voice in Tech: Co-Designed Recommendations to Support Black Workers and Learners Seeking to Enter and Advance in Technology Industry Career Pathways. Digital Promise. https://digitalpromise.dspacedirect.org/items/5dcf2bc8-f40c-4942-96a4-c4a5bda965e3