NPower, one of America’s leading nonprofits for equity in tech, has received a$250,000 grant from the Cognizant U.S. Foundation that will help more than 100 veterans and military spouses in the Dallas-Fort Worth area launch new careers in technology through NPower’s Tech Fundamentals program.

The 23-week Tech Fundamentals program consists of 16 weeks of intensive training through an instructor-led virtual learning platform covering IT fundamentals, hardware, cybersecurity basics, cloud computing, support services and database management followed by a 7-week paid internship or project-based work assignment.

Bea Tassot, Vice President of Field Operations for NPower, says this grant from the CognizantU.S.Foundation will have an instant impact on veterans and military families across the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

“Unemployed and low-income veterans are adversely impacted by the digital divide and are most at-risk from a widening economic gap during the pandemic and in a post-pandemic recession,” said Tassot.“Our programs are changing life trajectories for veterans and their families living in these vulnerable communities.

NPower Texas serves members of the military community across North Texas, targeting those most in need of job opportunities—and is committed to empowering women and people of color who have been historically under-represented in the tech sector.

 Since launching in 2013, NPower Texas has served more than 1,000 veterans, military spouses, and reservists through its programs.

“Veterans are an incredibly important part of our nation's workforce—and at Cognizant we continually see their leadership training and real-world experience as tremendous assets," said Tobi Young, Vice President of Government Affairs at Cognizant and Cognizant U.S. Foundation Board Member. “Our Foundation is honored to invest in organizations that bolster opportunities for these heroic men and women to make an impact across our surrounding cybersecurity and technology industries."  

In Texas, the average post-program salary for NPower graduates is $48,994, a 366 percent increase from the $10,496 trainees earn on average entering the work training program. NPower research show alumni who return for upskilling in cybersecurity and cloud computing earn salaries from $55,000 to $120,000. More than 80 percent of NPower students secure employment or continue their education within one year of graduation.

While 70 percent of NPower’s trainees reside in Dallas and Tarrant counties, its programs also serve those from Wise, Denton, Collin, Kaufman, Ellis, Hunt, and Harris counties. NPower is a registered trainer in the U.S. Department of Labor IT Generalist Apprenticeship program offering graduates valuable, paid on-the-job training and experience.