LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Louisville nonprofit is expanding its footprint to amplify its resources to bridge the gap for underserved communities to get their foot in the door to the technology industry.
Elizah Wilson was a medical receptionist before realizing that she had a passion for software technology. Which led her to “Adventurous minds produce extraordinary dreams” or Amped.
“Before I started this program, I just thought software engineering was kind of hacker. And. Sure, you’re just in a dark room with a trench coat typing away, but just the fact that you can create different services and meet different people’s needs on a larger scale, using software is pretty cool,” said Wilson.
Amped recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and broke ground on the new Russell Station Tech and Learning Center, which will be on 17th and Market Street in Louisville.
President and founder of Amped Dave W. Christopher Sr. says tech is the fastest-growing industry in the world and this new building will empower the community to bridge the gap in sustainable income for individuals that want to get into IT.
“Taking now with a smaller class because we don’t have the space to do that, that bigger class. But now we have that plus that building and have wraparound services. Our free child care, like all the barrier removal pieces, because again, we know that people can get the job done. They just need the support to get it done. And then they go on and we take on the next folks. So they’re super excited about it,” said Christopher.
Employer Liaison Tracy Page says the 12-week tech program is an immersive training for technology, working with different employers and organizations. Students get a certificate in Microsoft 900, CompTIA plus and Networking Plus.
“When they finish this and they get those three certifications, we have employers that are ready to hire them and then if they want to continue after that, there’s other areas of Power BI cyber security. There’s a data analytics program that they can get in,” said Page.
Wilson says that only 7% of the technology workforce is Black and brown people and Amped is contributing to help her get her foot in the technology industry.
“Historically and currently, the tech field is majority white males. So to be able to have more people who look like us, are from our communities, know what we need that will empower the tech industry to be able to continue to apply these tools and technologies, and things that actually matter and help our community,” said Wilson.
Amped has had over 87 students go through their technology program since the fall of 2023. Construction for the new Russell Station Tech and Learning Center is expected to be completed fall of 2025.