CapTech Partners with Road to Hire to Support Youth in STEM Careers

At CapTech, Empowering Youth is one of our impact focus areas, investing time and resources to create opportunities for youth to learn, grow, and build confidence to become future leaders.

Road to Hire’s mission is to interrupt cycles of intergenerational poverty by ensuring the young people in its programs have access to higher education, high-earning careers, and prosperous futures. The programs at Road to Hire are designed to meet students where they are and provide pathways to high-growth careers in STEM.

CapTech's collaboration with Road to Hire originated from the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council (CELC), a coalition of business executives from prominent corporations and organizations dedicated to fostering community empowerment. Through CapTech's Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB) leadership, connections were forged with CELC, leading to a partnership with Road to Hire's director. The partnership has enabled mentors to offer guidance in both life skills and technical expertise for Road to Hire's apprenticeship program, encompassing various fields like Cybersecurity and Business Intelligence.

From those beginnings, the partnership expanded in 2023 when CapTech hosted Road to Hire’s inaugural Internship Prep Program. For three out of five weeks of the program, student participants were hosted in CapTech’s Charlotte office, gaining exposure to interactive discussions and Q&A sessions involving business acumen, problem-solving, collaboration, communication, and networking. The 25 students were guided on a path involving these topics in a case study that would prepare them for high-earning careers upon graduation.

“It was impressive to experience the creativity and energy that the students brought to the case study. Each one was challenged to use their strengths which allowed their collective team to shine in their ideas and presentations. I was grateful to learn about their backgrounds and future interests, these bright students deserve every opportunity that comes their way," said Sindy Sessoms, Sr. Manager, Management Consulting.

This process has proven mutually beneficial for both Road to Hire and CapTech. The students have enjoyed a positive experience, with some students securing their first tech job within just a few months, while the mentors from CapTech have also undergone transformative experiences and are excited to continue to work with Road to Hire programs.

“My biggest takeaway from mentoring students in the Road to Hire Program is how having fun and being yourself can lead to outstanding results. My team’s solution came from the students leaning on their life experiences and using their creativity, yielding an innovative and exciting final product,” said Drew Bauer, Consultant, Management Consulting.