A local workforce development program just graduated its first cohort, but the path to landing its students jobs hasn\u2019t been as straightforward as planned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over the last three years, Launchpad has helped graduates hone the skills to break into tech. But since 2022, the widespread adoption of AI and an evolving entry-level job market have made the ultimate goal \u2014 full-time employment \u2014 harder to reach, Dannyelle Austin, executive director of Launchpad, told Technical.ly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only one of 12 graduates found full-time work as an outreach specialist at Launchpad. Two students landed internships with one of Launchpad\u2019s partners, SEER Interactive, and eight others are continuing to work in the program\u2019s consulting venture. But that\u2019s no surprise, considering the ongoing trends of a dip in job postings<\/a> since 2022 and a stagnating software industry<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re a \u2026 young person right out of high school, how are you gonna get experience if you can\u2019t get an entry-level job?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Dannyelle Austin, executive director of Launchpad<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really hard to find entry-level jobs,\u201d Austin said. \u201cEntry-level jobs all say you need experience. If you\u2019re a \u2026 young person right out of high school, how are you gonna get experience if you can\u2019t get an entry-level job?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n When Launchpad first developed its curriculum, there was a demand for software engineers<\/a> and full-stack developers, Austin said. There were more than three times the number of job postings<\/a> for software developers in 2022 compared to now, according to Indeed.\u00a0<\/p>\n The program recruited its students from high schools to train them for those roles, with internship opportunities built in. Teachers in the program shifted curriculum as AI became more popular, hoping it would make the students more employable, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n But even that experience hasn\u2019t been enough to stand out. Tech job postings are down 35% from early 2020 to now<\/a>, according to Indeed. This means it\u2019s harder for students, like Launchpad graduate Antonio Archer, to land a full-time role.<\/p>\n Archer is one of the part-time interns at local digital marketing agency SEER Interactive<\/a>, thanks to an interview facilitated by the program. Beyond the opportunities he\u2019s gotten through existing connections like that, it\u2019s been difficult for him to get noticed as he tries to land a full-time role next year.<\/p>\n \u201cI have not been able to just go out and be like, \u2018Hi, I\u2019m Antonio Archer, these are my certifications,\u201d Archer said. \u201cThat method just doesn\u2019t work anymore. It has to be, \u2018Hey, I know this person.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n More real-world experience required<\/p>\n