DPI aims to use support to expand computing and data science programming and tech career pathways for high schoolers, City College and four-year students; deepen teacher training support
CHICAGO – Discovery Partners Institute, part of the University of Illinois System, today announced $750,000 in support from Google.org, the company’s philanthropy. DPI plans to use the funds to grow its efforts to cultivate promising and diverse tech talent across Chicago.
DPI aims to use the funding to support DPI’s Pritzker Tech Talent Labs, to help sustain and grow key programs focused on closing gaps in tech education and workforce development for a spectrum of learners across high school and postsecondary education. The goal is to strengthen career readiness, support economic mobility, and build deeper connections to Chicago’s growing tech community.
In addition, DPI plans to use the funding to advance PTTL’s teacher training efforts, which equip educators with the tools and support needed to deliver high-quality instruction in computing and data science.
Through this support, PTTL anticipates reaching approximately 1,300 students and 350 teachers directly, including an estimated multiplier of 50,000 students reached via teachers who will integrate new learning into their classrooms.
Computing is the top source of new wages in the United States, and computer science accounts for the majority of new STEM jobs, according to Code.org. With 80 percent of jobs requiring some level of computing knowledge, Illinois high school graduates are entering a workforce dominated by technology. Yet many lack access to the computing education or digital skills needed to work and innovate in the new digital workforce.
“Google.org is proud to support the Discovery Partners Institute’s plans to expand access to computing and data science education for learners and educators across Illinois,” said Jessica Holberg, Strategy & Operations Lead for the Google.org Education team. “This funding underscores our commitment to fostering a skilled tech workforce. DPI’s innovative programs within the Pritzker Tech Talent Labs are making significant impact in creating pathways to economic opportunity in our community.”
This latest funding builds on Google.org’s support of DPI, which began in 2021.
“DPI’s primary goal is to drive equitable economic growth within the region’s tech workforce, which is increasingly driven by the need for competencies in computing and technology,” said Mark Harris, director of the Pritzker Tech Talent Labs. “We are thrilled about the support from Google.org and we plan to use the funding to expand the reach of our programs and increase the capacity for schools to advance computer and data science education and pathways.”
Since initially launching in 2020, PTTL programs have reached 4,000 participants — 66 percent of whom come from economically disadvantaged areas. PTTL’s goals are to increase the number of regional youth and young adults who are pursuing pathways into computing and thriving in jobs in the region’s tech workforce.
Specific PTTL programs supported by this funding include:
Students:
- DC Ignite Sessions are discrete, single-day workshop-based programs designed to foster student engagement in high-interest areas of computing such as AI, cybersecurity, and gaming. These workshops provide an opportunity for students to explore a topic of interest and serve as a recruitment tool and on-ramp to the Discover Computing Program for more in-depth exposure to learning experiences focused on computing.
- Discover Computing is a collection of three multisession programs offered throughout the year on Saturdays at DPI. These sessions serve as longer-term learning experiences focused on creative coding with JavaScript, artificial intelligence, and an assortment of topics in tech including data science, web development using HTML/CSS, and machine learning. These programs allow students to produce projects that showcase their newly formed or elevated computing skills and serve as an addition to their personal portfolio used for college or internship applications.
- ChiTech Discovery Days are single-day field trip experiences where Chicago-area high school and middle school students visit DPI to receive an orientation to Chicago’s tech landscape. In partnership with World Business Chicago, students participate in hands-on learning activities related to computing and design thinking and engage in interactive talks with tech professionals or current college students majoring in computer science and tech-related fields at Chicago-area institutions. This initiative provides a quick burst of exposure to visiting students and has resulted in enrollment in other DPI student programs.
- CS Starter Academy is an academic two-semester, cohort-based program to support city college students in their transfer into four-year programs of study. Students complete an industry certification, along with advising on the transfer process, near-peer mentoring, exposure to the broader Chicago tech ecosystem, and deeper knowledge of a variety of technical topics.
- Summer Tech Internship Program is a 10-week, 20-hour-per-week microinternship for college freshmen and sophomores to provide real-world work experience and make connections within Chicago’s tech community. The program’s unique format places interns at host workplaces two half-days per week; interns continue their work over two half-days at DPI where they receive professional development, technical advising and mentorship. On Fridays participants visit companies to network across the Chicago tech ecosystem.
K–12 teachers
- CS Educator Summer Teacher Intensives take a novel co-learning approach, where teachers and students engage in computing and data science-based learning together, deepening educators’ understanding of how students take up CS-based concepts. This immersive, two-week experience, offered during the summer across several different learning tracks, allows teachers to develop and refine their instructional strategies in real time while creating hands-on projects that enhance classroom instruction.
- CS Educator Workshop Series is a yearlong series that offers teachers targeted daylong professional development sessions on computer science topics driven by teacher interest. These workshops equip educators with practical, immediately applicable tools to enhance their instruction.