AT&T is Collaborating with Dev/Mission and VetsInTech to Expand Economic Empowerment in Black and Underserved Communities in the Bay Area

AT&T Blog Team
November 13, 2020
Community Impact


AT&T is Collaborating with Dev/Mission and VetsInTech to Expand Economic Empowerment in Black and Underserved Communities in the Bay Area

AT&T is working with Dev/Mission and VetsInTech to offer digital scholarships to online learning platform Coursera to further empower underserved communities with educational opportunities needed for in-demand jobs in today’s workforce.

The 80 online scholarships will be distributed through employee-led AT&T BelievesSM efforts focused on social equality. “Standing for Equality” is a core value at AT&T. Initiatives focused on economic empowerment are a path to facilitating equality in our communities. It starts with us and what we do every day to build an inclusive environment. We value our role in the corporate community here in San Francisco Bay Area, and if every one of our employees is helping to drive positive change in some way, the potential impact is powerful.

Founded in early 2017 by Leonardo Sosa and a team of technologists that care about STEAM opportunities for diverse young professionals, Dev/Mission’s goal is to connect the most overlooked population in San Francisco, Bay Area and beyond, and expose them to careers in the tech industry.

“We’re excited to work with AT&T to provide underserved communities with skills-based, hands-on learning that they can take from anywhere to prepare for fast-growing digital jobs,” said Leonardo Sosa, CEO and Founder of Dev/Mission.

VetsInTech (VIT) supports our current and returning veterans with re-integration services, and by connecting them to the national technology ecosystem. VIT is committed to bringing together a tech-specific network, resources, and programs for our veterans interested in Education, Entrepreneurship, and Employment

“We thank AT&T for providing this training opportunity for our veterans, so they can prepare for a career in high demand technology fields,” said Katherine Webster, Founder and CEO of VetsinTech.

This initiative is part of our employee-led AT&T BelievesSM /Believe Bay AreaSM program, which harnesses our employees’ generosity, supports it with company resources and joins with collaborators to make an even bigger impact on local communities and society at large. Believe Bay AreaSM is a grassroots, employee-driven campaign bringing together AT&T leadership, employees and resources alongside local nonprofit, government and business communities to support skill and career building opportunities for underserved communities in the Bay Area.

The scholarships will be made available to people who want to pursue technical and non-technical online courses, specializations, and credentials to get career ready, but who have traditionally had little access to those careers.

“This initiative demonstrates our commitment to driving social equality in underserved communities through educational opportunities that provide families a path to economic stability.”

Cammy Blackstone – External Affairs Director, AT&T California

“This initiative demonstrates our commitment to driving social equality in underserved communities through educational opportunities that provide families a path to economic stability,” said Cammy Blackstone, Director-External Affairs, AT&T California.

AT&T has now committed nearly $11.5 million in 2020 to create economic opportunities and foster upward mobility for Black and underserved communities. Learn more about our earlier commitments here.

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