Niantic has selected educational provider Tech Elevator as its partner in a new scholarship program titled Voyager.
The program will provide 20 underrepresented individuals in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle areas with the opportunity to launch their careers in technology.
Recipients of the scholarships will receive tuition-free education in coding through a 14-week bootcamp before launching their careers as junior software engineers, either through a six-month Voyager Apprenticeship at Niantic or through one of Tech Elevator’s 700+ hiring partners in America. Additionally, recipients will receive career coaching, as well as a living stipend during the program.
Applications are currently being accepted on Tech Elevator's website, with a start date of October 24.
Diversifying the workforce
In a statement on its website, Niantic wrote that the new partnership “contributes to a combined mission of diversifying the technology workforce, and making educational opportunities more accessible to underrepresented communities.”
“Tech Elevator is proud to partner with Niantic to transform the lives of 20 individuals through our coding bootcamp,” said Tech Elevator CEO and co-founder Anthony Hughes. “With Niantic, we have a common mission to foster a more inclusive technology workforce. This program will open the door of opportunity to deserving individuals looking to change the trajectory of their careers.”
The scholarship is open to members of underrepresented groups in tech such as women, the Black, Latino, and Native American communities, and transgendered and non-binary people. However, there is no mention in the press release or statement on whether other underrepresented groups, such as the disabled community and members of the larger queer community. are included in this.
We have reached out to a representative of Tech Elevator for further comment.
Niantic is best known for its range of AR titles such as Pokémon Go, Ingress, and Pikmin Bloom. Last year, we listed them as the top mobile game maker. We’ll be unveiling our list for 2022 later this month.
