- Welcome to Mutually Inclusive.

I'm your host, Kylie Ambu.

Grand Rapids is home to a slew of booming industries and developers say jobs in tech are the new hotspot on the market.

In fact, economic development agency, The Right Place recently announced a 10 year plan that aims to make this city a major tech hub in the Midwest.

But how do we ensure that this growth is accessible for all of our communities?

That's what we explore on this episode of Mutually Inclusive.

(light music) - [Announcer] Support for Mutually Inclusive comes from the W.K.

Kellogg Foundation, A Partner With Communities Where Children Come First.

- The West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology, or WMCAT, has been offering its adult career training programs to Kent County residents since 2005.

It's tuition free education that aims to connect people experiencing under and unemployment with local industry leaders.

Until now, these programs have been solely focused on healthcare.

But with the new tech boom in Grand Rapids, the group is opening a training pathway in cyber security.

We talk with current and pass players to learn more.

- [Jamon] Yeah, so when I, when I think about WMCAT, I first think about the landscape here in West Michigan, right?

So we tend to make a lot of lists.

We are the fastest growing economy.

We are one of the best places to live, one of the best places to retire, Beer City USA.

We're also a city that's living in tension.

There is unemployment, and I think we have a pretty good sense for what that means.

When we talk about underemployment, that could mean folks who are working part-time, that could mean individuals who are working multiple part-time positions to make ends meet.

That could mean folks who are working full-time and aren't earning enough to support and care for their families in the ways in which that we all would want to.

But really, again, the goal is to connect people to thriving wages that get above what's called the benefits cliff.

(light music) So when you think about city proper, you know, nearly half of the families living in Grand Rapids are at or below what's called the ALICE Threshold.

Which means that folks are working and aren't earning enough, you know, to care for their families.

We're also one of the worst places in the country, economically, with black people, or for black people.

So I think about WMCATs' work as a programmatic response to some of these racial and economic disparities that continue to persist in our region.

We exist to provide equitable access opportunity and a few ways that we live that out is through adult workforce development, architect programming with youth, and then we have two social enterprises.

- I will say, and I'm probably gonna be kind of candid on this, so I don't know how you're gonna present it, but WMCAT changed my life.

(light music) When I started this program, honestly, I didn't think I was gonna make it.

Let's just start there.

I didn't think I was gonna make it, but I did have to push of people around me.

I was a young mom, typically just the typical mom going to work, working in the factory, doing what I needed to do to get by.

- So let me tell you what's exciting about this pathway, right?

So the first is it's tuition free, right?

So there's no financial out of pocket costs that a person would have to pay in order to enroll in the program.

There's also like onsite holistic supports to respond to any emergency these people may have.

- The number one thing was tuition free, because other schools, the tuition is so high, and when you're already struggling to take care of home and your kids, then that thought of taking on that additional financial debt, that's a hard thing to make that type of decision where you're told, Hey, you go back to school, life would be great, but I can't afford to go back to school for life to be great.

Right now, I have to just do what I have to do.

So my cousin, she went here, she graduated, and I saw her doing really well, and she seemed happy that she had did it.

So I started looking into it and I applied.

- There's also a stipend in order, and that is present in order to again, be able to support families and hopefully increase the mental and emotional bandwidth that comes with learning full-time, working part-time or full-time and then care for a family.

- I've always wanted to be in the medical field.

I've actually attempted to go to school twice for the medical field.

I went to Ross for medical assisting and being a mom superseded school.

So I only finished four of the six months of the program.

Then I also went back to school another time at Davenport.

That's when I did their billing and coding program.

Once again, job got demanding.

I was working in a factory, and as everybody knows, factories, the hours are constantly changing.

So I had to give up school.

So like I said when my son got older to where I didn't need like daycare, you know, a babysitter and things of that nature, I jumped back in and this time I was able to fulfill my dreams of billing and coding.

- In my mind, I always think about like how we got here, right?

And I want to be clear here.

I think how we got here is the direct result of some very intentional policy choices, local, state, national policy.

I do not believe that the conditions that we live here as a community are the result of individual choices, right?

I don't know that that stands the test of logic.

So as an organization, we are approaching that fact and that challenge twofold, right?

So there is some direct programming that we've seen with the healthcare career training and where we're headed with technology.

What is often underappreciated in the work conversation is lived experience.

It is the inherent value that people are showing up with.

So how do we honor that, right?

So when I think about individuals who are coming into WMCAT, they're coming into WMCAT as parents, as members of a community, as people who are caring for, you know, others in in their family, right?

And what we're saying is when you think about these experiences and we reframe them, there are skills, there are attributes, there are mindsets, there's all these things that you have developed as a result of these experiences that absolutely applies to where you want to go, right?

Sometimes our students will tell us that they don't feel like they even deserve an experience like this.

And we're saying, you absolutely do.

And not only do you deserve it, we're gonna walk alongside you and ensure that your hard work is rewarded.

- [Rashika] Having that support, knowing that those type of obstacles can be helped, it kind of eases the mind and make it easier for you to focus on school and getting there and getting things done, when you don't have to worry about how I'm gonna get my kids to and from?

How I'm gonna pay for this?

How we going to eat?

When you have a school that says, Hey, we'll help you as much as, as we can, just let us know.

I'm telling you that it is a whole weight off your shoulders.

It's so much more than just education and tuition free.

It was a whole support system from transportation, to financial assistance, to emotional and mental support.

I would be honest to say there were times where some of the young ladies, I didn't experience this, but when they didn't have daycare, we brought babies to school, we're passing babies around the class so mom can take her test or, you know, So it was just the whole support made it so much easier for you to, the things that's normally hard to overcome, to get to that dream.

They supplied everything for us to help us, you know, make it to our, to our end game.

I would say WMCAT changed my life drastically because it wasn't just a program and it didn't just change me to say, I'm Rashika and I am a certified medical coder.

I am now Rashika who can do anything.

- [Announcer] If you want to join the conversation, follow WGVU on Facebook, on Twitter @WGVUPublicMedia and @KylieAmbu, use the hashtag #mutuallyinclusive.

Past episodes and the Mutually Inclusive newsfeed can be found at wgvu.org/mutuallyinclusive.

- Our, again, our our health information programs have been around since 2005, and historically our placement rates are 82%, right?

So 82% of our graduates that come into the program not only complete the program, but ultimately land a career placement within six months, We're excited to launch this cyber security and what's called GRC Pathway, Governance, Risk and Compliance.

And in short, it is an entry point into information in cyber security, and it more importantly, connects individuals and families to thriving wages.

And it supports this idea of connecting families to the digital economy.

- What WMCAT is putting forward, I mean, that's the model that you're like, okay, if you're an individual and you wanna get into this field and you want to try it, here is an avenue and you know, the barrier of cost is gone.

I think that's amazing.

There's many programs trying to develop individuals, whether it's giving them certificates or training them on some of the technical components.

When you work at an organization, you might not be completely ready for the environment.

What I really have liked about what WMCAT does is they build you as a person.

And then now those that are employers and hiring managers, we can always understand, all right, an individual that has gone through that type of training, has also known how to interact with individuals inside the workspace or how to dress appropriately for professional environments.

- The pandemic, for example, has shifted the ways in which we learn, the ways in which we work.

So technology is very much a part of our future and the economic opportunity in that is right now, we want to ensure that the community, the families that trust us are also included in the digital economy and where that's headed, right?

So we wanna be able to support inclusive growth.

(light music) - Even in this area, we started to understand, okay, Cloud is emerging, all the digital environment is emerging, all of these spaces, but on top of that, the security side of it is also emerging.

And so I've seen rapid growth and I think that's really what has happened to be the issue for why we have such a gap in resources and individuals that are trained in cybersecurity because it just emerge so quickly and it's still emerging and it's so broad that we just, we can't hire and train people fast enough to get them in the industry.

So when we think of anything, there's always a security side to it, whether it's, you know, non-technical stuff, where you have your house but you still lock your windows and your doors or your car, when you go to the mall, you're gonna roll up your windows and lock your doors.

In the cyber space, it's a little more open, but I think individuals realize anything you build, any technology you have, now even cars that you drive, there's a cyber security component to protecting that.

Yeah, as far as cyber security, a lot of individuals will look at it and be like intimidated, but it's kind of an umbrella that has a few, The handle is really, you have your Governance Risk Compliance, the GRC component.

Then you have some like security engineering area as well as like security operations.

And those kind of make up the general cyber security realm.

But then above that, in the cyber space, it's kind of the architecture, the leaders, they understand how each of those three wings kind of play into that, what we call the cyber space.

- Where folks are moving to is positions that, you know, according to West Michigan Works, on averages like $64,000 up to $77,000 to start.

So these are game changing wages.

Wages well above the benefits cliff threshold.

And wages that could again, start to close that income gap that we, again, that continues to persist here in West Michigan.

I'm also excited because demand for these positions are not only exist today, but also the projection is that it's gonna grow by like 18% over the course of the next few years.

So we're training folks and folks are getting connected to a pathway that's very relevant now, allows for caring for families and thriving families now, and there will still be opportunities in the near future.

- Yeah.

Yeah, the earning potential is, I'll even use the term astronomical right now.

(light music) In the Governance Risk Compliance side there's a large potential.

Those are probably gonna be the more entry level, you know, 55 to 70 starting out jobs.

But if you're going into like security operations or security engineering right away, I mean those, yeah, 70, 80 starting is probably even low to be honest with you.

Those are six figured jobs as soon as they can get you in, realistically.

- You know, tech is in demand, tech offers thriving wages, wage possibilities, career mobility, all of our workplaces are reliant on it, right?

So I get excited about just the idea of WMCAT bringing a one of a kind virtual reality training to West Michigan and connecting our families to that, right?

And how do we continue to advocate at a systems level to address some of the policy challenges that affect frankly all of us.

- What is so beautiful about this is the fact that you're alleviating some of that stress on an individual and giving them the opportunity to explore it and actually take advantage of it out of someone else's pocket, and then they can grow and give back in the future.

But I really think that that's been a huge barrier.

We know that that's a barrier.

- So this program is open to any adult in Kent County.

We are encouraging members of the BIPOC community to apply and to connect to this cybersecurity and GRC pathway.

And by BIPOC I mean black, indigenous, people of color.

And then I would also say women, cuz these are the groups that have historically been underrepresented in technology, historically been left out of the, you know, the digitally economy.

And we want to make sure that we can connect people to where the future's headed and frankly, to design our future.

- It has been very difficult, but I think many organizations are beginning to address it.

And when you talk about diversification of your workforce, you know, you're talking about a lot of things, right?

You're diversity isn't just black and white.

And so it is about diversifying, building community, building a lot of diverse groups being able to be at the table.

What has been difficult, I would say about most the teams is IT in general is not very diverse.

You know, I've been called a unicorn at locations because it's like, oh, you're a black African American person that can do cybersecurity.

Wow.

And I wanna change that because I want there to be, I really wanna build a bridge for others to come behind me.

Like I don't see this as unattainable.

If you just have one primary group that is running all of this industry, that is how everyone thinks and that's how everyone responds.

Now if you bring other ideas, cultures, talents to the table, they think about things differently.

I look at it in the sense of even like, I'll take one area, application security.

You have developers and their developers are like artists.

They want to create, they wanna build their application, they wanna put it out there for the world.

Application security engineers gonna look at that application and they're gonna say, You designed something beautiful, but this is how I'm gonna use it and this is how I'm gonna use it maliciously.

And I think it's that's kind of an interesting area where we help others kind of think outside of the box.

- Absolutely.

You know, so like the, the narrative right now, at least within the employer community is, you know, we can't find talent or people don't want to work.

And I think the question should be, what can we do to curate environments that make it easier for people to say yes to work, right?

Like, what can we do to ensure that these environments are designed for the people that we want to work in the environments?

We, you know, we assume that work works for everybody and the reality of it is it does not work for everyone.

Work historically has not worked as well for parents as we'd like.

Work historically has not worked well for black and brown people as we like.

Work historically hasn't worked well for women.

And then when you add the, you know, the tech, and the fact that like we're moving into a tech space, all that's represented there.

So our employer partners, the request and the expectation is that the environments are supportive of the pipeline that they will need to do the work that they're doing.

And we're willing to come alongside and support that work as well.

- My passion is bringing others into the industry that look me and I'm biracial, so I'm Hispanic and black, and I try to help both of those groups just get into this field.

I love it and I am passionate about the actual technology and what we do, but I would say it's bridge building.

It's saying, Hey, you know, I tripped up this way, but let me, let me help you.

You know, it is difficult work and at times it's really trying, and you do have to be a person of integrity and, , but I think most of us try to be, so I don't think it's asking anything outside of the norm of a human being.

I can always go back to one of my mentors.

I actually worked for him.

I was working in the area.

He was like, Well, why don't you try the enterprise?

It was like, cuz I'm happy where I'm at.

There's no reason.

He's like, Why don't you go try it for six months and if you don't like it, you can always come back.

And I was like, Wait, so are you firing me or are you telling?

And he is like, I really feel like this would be a good step for you.

This is what you like doing.

This is in line with where you're at.

And I think, you know, sometimes we just don't see it like others see it.

They're like, Oh, you know what?

You would be a great fit.

You should really give this a shot.

And in his sense, you know, he came and gave me an umbrella.

Like I could go try it and if I didn't like it, I could come back.

And that helped me have that mindset, Oh, I'm gonna go try this.

I'll give it everything I got.

And wow, I ended up loving it.

And I have never looked back.

As the WMCAT or others in the community are building up talent.

We're always available.

You know, there's 700 members in our group and any one of them would be more than happy to talk to anybody coming into the field.

And I think that's really the role we play is kind of being the mentor.

- I do have people now tell me that they're proud of me, that they always knew I could do it.

I just had to believe in myself.

That they proud of me for stepping up.

I think like I have a lot of people coming to me and say like, they kind of can't believe that I'm the person I am now because I didn't used to, I didn't smiled as much.

Let's just start there.

I didn't smiled as much.

So I just think like, the outpouring support that I get from everybody around me has definitely shown me that this was the right move and that the person who everybody thought I was, I am capable of being because I'm living it.

I am now living it.

(soft music) - [Jamon] It's, it's a great honor for me personally and professionally and as a trustee and member of this community to be able to even play a very small part in the journey that an individual and their families on towards income security.

We are trusted by individuals, we're trusted by families, and I take that trust very seriously.

- They mean it.

So the reason why I would tell everyone about this program and push this program is because I believe in the program and I've seen it work.

It's not just, I've heard about this, I lived it and I seen it firsthand and I know the changes that it made within me.

And if I feel like if I wouldn't have went through this program at the time when I did in the way that I did, I don't know that I would be able to sit here and have this conversation with you, or be in a position that I'm in now at my job.

- I grew up here on the southeast side of town.

I'm a GVSU graduate myself.

So if you count Allendale as moving away, that's the furthest I've lived.

So I say that to say I'm very much connected and invested in what happened here with our families.

It is very much a personal and I would say organizational goal for us to play a part in inclusive growth.

So I get energized and I get excited about the possibilities of individuals coming from, whether it were, you know, stay at home parent, retail, manufacturing, whatever it is that people are doing, and they're deciding that they want to change, right?

To be able to come into this program that provides holistic family support and then wages that could get as high as like $80,000 to start.

That to me is game changing.

And that's the start.

So like the possibility to grow beyond that is endless.

So if anyone that's interested in enrolling in this program, you can go to work.wmcat.org.

It's a pretty simple three step process that begins with you clicking the enroll button.

- So if you are somebody who the little things you do at home, if you take something apart and you wanna put it back together and you find yourself like, Hey, I love video games, I love, you know, how they do this and what goes on in the background, you might not even understand, you our tech, Like something as simple as that.

- I would say anyone that has an interest in this field, I mean, I think it's the right time to consider it.

It's a good field.

It's a great field.

- I think if, my advice would be, if this is something that you're interested in doing, have a passion for it.

Because once you get here, it's kind of no turn back.

If you come to WMCAT you are going to, this is the field you're going in.

This is just it.

They're gonna make you believe in yourself that you can do it.

- You can find more information about WMCAT's adult career training programs at WMCAT.ORG and don't forget to stay in touch with us as well.

Be sure to give WGVU a big follow on Facebook.

And for more videos like this, check out our site at wgvu.org/mutually-inclusive.

Thanks for watching and we'll see you next time.

- [Announcer] Support for Mutually Inclusive comes from the W.K.

Kellogg Foundation, A Partner With Communities Where Children Come First.

(bright music) If you want to join the conversation, follow WGVU on Facebook, on Twitter, @WGVUPublicMedia, and @KylieAmbu use the hashtag #mutuallyinclusive.

Past episodes and the Mutual Inclusive newsfeed can be found at wgvu.org/mutually-inclusive.

(bright music)