Breakthrough Technology Fellowship

Breakthrough Technology Fellowship

The tech and innovation economy is booming, but this growth is leaving out many Brooklyn residents, particularly people of color.

Limited access to resources that foster career readiness and success is an obstacle faced by many young professionals of color.

As a response, Restoration partnered with the Marcy Lab School to launch the Breakthrough Technology Program, a 12-week pilot program designed to train New Yorkers with prior programming or computer science experience for competitive, full-time software engineering roles.

The Breakthrough Technology Fellowship tested the hypothesis that a gap in leadership skills prevents people with technical skills from getting jobs. The program followed a robust curriculum focused on career fluency, racial identity development, and 1:1 coaching. Restoration provided wraparound supports, including financial counseling and referrals to mental health resources, and alumni engagement.

The pilot class was comprised of 20 low-income young professionals of color who already have technical training, either from a 2- or 4-year degree in a tech field or a comprehensive tech training program. The cohort was 70% Female/30% Male and 35% Black/35% Latinx/30% Asian. They demonstrated remarkable results.