TL;DR: Are you an organization wanting to help more people in your community get into tech? 

A training partnership can make that possible. Instead of only funding a course, you can give learners a real path forward with flexible training and encouragement along the way. 

Skillcrush partners with organizations to create remote or hybrid programs that help beginners build practical tech skills and feel more confident about what comes next.

A path into tech can look very different depending on where someone starts. For some people, tuition is the biggest hurdle. For others, it is finding time to learn, getting access to a reliable laptop, or what to do after training.

That is where the right partnership can make a difference. Strong support can help students focus on building skills instead of trying to solve every barrier alone.

A good partnership looks beyond the course itself. It considers what people need to begin, keep going, and take the next step toward a new career. This can include flexible learning, technology access, community, and career guidance.

The result is a realistic path into tech for people who may not have seen one before.

Table of Contents

• The Zero-Irving Skillcrush Partnership
• What a Scholarship Model Makes Possible
• Why The Hybrid Model Matters
• What a Tech Workforce Partnership Can Look Like
• Explore a Partnership With Skillcrush

Is Tech Right For you? Take Our 3-Minute Quiz!

You Will Learn:

☑️ If a career in tech is right for you

☑️ What tech careers fit your strengths

☑️ What skills you need to reach your goals

The Zero Irving-Skillcrush Partnership 

Skillcrush partnered with Zero Irving’s Workforce Development Project Fund to offer 15 full-ride scholarships for New Yorkers. The $100,000 investment supports learners as they build practical AI Developer skills.

The partnership is built around a shared goal: helping more people access the skills and support they need to pursue tech careers—especially New Yorkers who are historically underrepresented in the industry.

Each scholarship gives a student the chance to complete Skillcrush’s AI Developer training and begin building skills for a changing tech job market. It’s a reminder that expanding access to tech is not only about offering a course. It’s also about creating real opportunities for people who may not otherwise have had a clear or affordable way in.

What a Scholarship Model Makes Possible 

A scholarship can do more than cover the cost of a course. When it also includes the right support, it can give students a real chance to complete their training and take the next step toward a tech career.

For the Zero Irving partnership, that support includes:

• Training: Six months of Skillcrush AI Developer training to build practical, job-relevant skills.
• Technology: A laptop helps remove the equipment barrier that can make online learning difficult or impossible.
• Community: Students can connect with others who are working toward similar goals, ask questions, and keep each other motivated.
• Flexibility: Online coursework gives participants more control over when and where they learn.
• Career support: Job-search guidance helps students think about what comes after training and how they can use their new skills.

Together, these pieces make the path into tech feel more possible. Covering tuition is a meaningful start. But students may still face barriers around equipment, time, confidence, or how to find a job.

For organizations investing in workforce development, that is the question worth asking: What could keep someone from finishing? And how can we help remove that barrier before it gets in the way?

Why The Hybrid Model Matters 

For many adult learners, flexibility isn’t a nice-to-have. Many are balancing jobs, families, caregiving, or other responsibilities. A fully in-person program can make regular attendance difficult. However, a fully online program can feel isolating.

That is why the Zero Irving program combines online AI Developer coursework with in-person support. Students receive flexibility about when they study. But they also have a place to ask questions, meet other students, and get encouragement when they need it.

That support is especially relevant for this cohort, which reflects New Yorkers often left out of traditional tech pipelines:

• More than 80% of participants are women.
• More than 70% are 40 or older.
• Learners come from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

A flexible program with in-person support recognizes that learners may arrive with different experiences, responsibilities, and needs.

Is Tech Right For you? Take Our 3-Minute Quiz!

You Will Learn:

☑️ If a career in tech is right for you

☑️ What tech careers fit your strengths

☑️ What skills you need to reach your goals

What a Tech Workforce Partnership Can Look Like 

Organizations can support a tech training program in several ways. They might fund a full cohort, support individual scholarships, or cover technology costs like laptops.

Partners can bring funding, community insight, and participant outreach. Meanwhile, Skillcrush handles the learning experience, from beginner-friendly training and program delivery to student support and job-search guidance. 

There isn’t one right way to build a tech workforce partnership. The Zero Irving program is one example of how a partnership can expand access to training.

Explore a Partnership With Skillcrush

For many career changers, the first step toward a tech career is a big one. With the help of partnerships, students don’t have to cover every cost alone. They can access the technology they need and learn with a supportive community.

That is the bigger opportunity behind workforce-development partnerships. When organizations invest in access, more people can take part in the tech industry. Organizations can also help build a workforce that better reflects the communities it serves..

If your organization wants to expand access to tech careers, set up a call with Skillcrush. Together, we can explore what a partnership could look like.