Cognixia: JUMP-Starting Diversity In Tech

Cognixia is a training and staffing company that specializes in digital-first talent. Owned by parent company Ascendion and headquartered in Basking Ridge, NJ, the company’s global reach spans more than 55 countries and 175,000+ tech professionals, including more than 10 Flatiron School grads since 2021. With a worldwide workforce, diversity is built into the company’s DNA. But they’re not done; in 2024, Cognixia intends to continue cultivating diversity in tech. 

In partnership with Flatiron School’s Lovelace and Ford fellowship programs, Cognixia is committed to building a more diverse tech industry – one jump at a time. 

JUMP by Cognixia

The JUMP Program is Cognixia’s answer to the tech talent gap that companies across the world face – technical job openings with not enough qualified talent to fill them. JUMP is a talent pipeline that hires, trains, and deploys technical talent to work at leading companies as consultants. Talent arrives ready to work and already fully trained in the destination company’s tech stack, effectively reducing onboarding time to near zero.  

“We provide companies a customized workforce solution,” Sydney Morris, Senior Talent Development Expert, said, “while taking on the upfront costs and risks associated with traditional entry-level hiring.”

To source prospective talent for the JUMP program, Cognixia looks to recent graduates from technical schools and bootcamps – ambitious, practiced learners, and – most importantly – digital-first. A handful of Flatiron School graduates have already completed the JUMP program, and Cognixia is eager for more to join its ranks. 

“We love bringing in Flatiron grads because they come prepared with top-notch foundational knowledge,” Morris explained. “Not only are they tech-savvy with unique hands-on learning experiences, but these students are super passionate with a sense of urgency to learn along with great communication skills.”

Driving Diversity With Flatiron Fellows

With a global network of more than 175,000 professionals, Cognixia’s methods are making waves. In fact, JUMP trainees are regularly placed at desks in Fortune 500 headquarters. But, according to Samantha McKoy, also a Talent Development Expert, Cognixia is just getting started. In 2024, the company plans to double down on its commitment to diversity. 

“55% of our candidates come from a diverse background, and we recognize how essential diversity is for cultivating innovation, enhancing the learning experience, and preparing individuals for real-world challenges in the tech industry,” McKoy said. “We’re continuously evaluating and improving to ensure that our program not only produces skilled professionals but also reflects the diverse perspectives and backgrounds crucial for a thriving and inclusive technical team.”

Lovelace and Ford Fellows from Flatiron School will play a part in Cognixia’s diversity goals. The company is committed to hiring 30-50 fellows in 2024. 

“Our partnership with Flatiron is extremely valuable because of the amazing quality of their students and the entire internal team that we work with,” Morris commented. “Their grads are ready to hit the ground running when joining our classes and working with our clients.”

Ready To JUMP Ahead?

For more information on Cognixia’s JUMP Program, visit their website.  

To learn more about the Lovelace and Ford Flatiron School fellowships and how they can support the beginning of your tech career, visit the Diversity & Inclusion page.

Flatiron School Relaunches Lovelace and Ford Fellowships

There’s no getting around it – tech is a fairly homogenous industry, with women and marginalized groups underrepresented in the field. What’s more, reports show that women are leaving tech, and the tech sector overall still employs fewer people of color than other sectors of the economy.  

But we can imagine a world where the tech industry is more representative of the population it serves; where people from all walks of life are welcomed and championed to succeed. The industry is making strides toward greater inclusion, and here at Flatiron School, we are committed to doing our part. 

“Some of the most ubiquitous products and innovations have been created by people with the technical skills we teach,” Jessica Solimano, VP of Shared Services at Flatiron School said regarding the relaunch. “When the pool of people with those skills becomes more diverse, the communities these products serve – including how they’re built and who they’re built for – expands.”

As 2024 kicks off, Flatiron School is thrilled to announce the relaunching of our fellowships. Flatiron Fellowship programs celebrate and empower historically underrepresented individuals in the tech community along their journey toward professional success, and provide exclusive access to fellowship-related opportunities.

Lovelace Fellowship

The Lovelace Fellowship – launching for the first time in 2024 – celebrates current students and graduates who identify as women. The fellowship is named after Ada Lovelace, recognized as the world’s first computer programmer for her pioneering work on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine and her development of the first computer program.

Ford Fellowship

Also relaunching this year is the Ford fellowship, which celebrates students and graduates who are Black, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic or mixed race. This fellowship is named after John Stanley Ford who was the first African American to work as a computer scientist, making significant contributions to the field while working at IBM.

Who Is Eligible For The Fellowships?

Both current Flatiron School students and Flatiron School alumni are eligible to become Lovelace or Ford fellows. Participation in the programs is voluntary, and members may self-enroll themselves at any time.

Fellow-Only Benefits

Flatiron Fellowships have a single purpose – championing the progress of underrepresented minorities in tech. To achieve this, Flatiron School is dedicated to offering monthly opportunities for fellows to make connections, enhance their skills, secure opportunities, and progress in their careers. 

Exclusive, fellow-only benefits include:

  • Networking opportunities
  • Guest Speakers from our network of employer partners 
  • Skill development workshops 

Fellowship Partners

Several of our employer partners have already voiced their own support of a more diverse tech industry by committing to source, interview, and/or hire Fellows, or host custom workshops for our Fellows. Their ranks include: Cognixia, Brooksource, Accenture, FDM Group, and R/GA.

Introducing Recent Flatiron Fellows

Alyssa Essman

Alyssa Essman

Lovelace Fellow

Arantxa Abraham

Arantxa Abraham

Ford & Lovelace Fellow

Danayt Aman

Danayt Aman

Ford & Lovelace Fellow

Göknur Kaya

Goknur Kaya

Ford & Lovelace Fellow

Kacey Clougher

Kacey Clougher

Lovelace Fellow

Kari Primiano

Kari Primiano

Lovelace Fellow

Kat Tannehill

Kat Tannehill

Lovelace Fellow

Kate Bennert

Kate Bennert

Lovelace Fellow

Kendall McNeil

Kendall McNeil

Lovelace Fellow

Laura Graham

Laura Graham

Lovelace Fellow

Minchul An

Minchul An

Ford Fellow

Mytreyi Abburu

Mytreyi Abburu

Ford & Lovelace Fellow

Promise Mbachu

Promise Mbachu

Ford Fellow

Rae Stanton

Rae Stanton

Lovelace Fellow

Staci Rosales

Staci Rosales

Lovelace Fellow

Stephanie Conde

Stephanie Conde

Ford & Lovelace Fellow

Let’s Change Tech Together

Flatiron School is committed to fostering greater diversity, equity, and inclusion in tech, one student at a time. While we still have a long way to go, together we can work towards changing tech for the better.

Amazon Career Choice X Flatiron School Partnership

Amazon’s Career Choice program empowers its employees by providing them access to the education and training needed to grow their careers at Amazon and beyond.

In the U.S., the company will invest $1.2 billion to upskill more than 300,000 employees by 2025 to help move them into higher-paying, in-demand jobs. For this investment, Amazon selected Flatiron School as one of its education partners to develop a customized technical training program for its hourly employees to help them access better-paying, skilled positions in software engineering, cybersecurity, and other tech fields.

The Challenge

Amazon has been rapidly growing its workforce over the past several years to meet increasing demand, hiring hundreds of thousands of front-line employees across the U.S.

As a company, Amazon believes that everyone should have the opportunity to learn new skills and build their career. A job with Amazon may be a springboard into a long-term career in another field, so they want to provide the training employees need to grow their careers.

In addition to the coursework and classes, they are focused on outcomes for employees, providing them with support services throughout their education and career journey. They want partners who share this focus on outcomes.

Why Amazon Selected Flatiron School

Since the first cohort in 2021, Flatiron School has offered the technical and instructional expertise, program design experience, job-placement track record, and ability to deliver at the scale that Amazon needed for the Career Choice programs.

This is why Amazon has partnered with Flatiron School to develop curriculum programs across cybersecurity, software development, data analytics, and web development for nine cohorts and counting. 

Amazon’s Challenge

With demand for tech workers soaring, Amazon wanted to offer transformative technical programs, with strong job placement outcomes, as part of Career Choice. Amazon needed a partner with the ability to both teach in-demand technical skills and drive high job placement rates.

Flatiron School’s Solution

Scalable, Customized Courses Paired with A Proven Job-Placement Approach

  1. Flatiron School developed six part-time, customized tech programs for Amazon employees to drive deep technical learning. 
  2. All programs were 32 weeks and provided students with the flexibility to learn new skills…
  3. …while still working full-time, dedicating 12-15 hours per week to the program.

The Results

During the first year of the partnership, 270 Amazon employees from across 38 fulfillment centers used their Career Choice benefits to become Software Engineers and Cybersecurity Analysts.

The Amazon Career Choice program also increased warehouse worker tenure, retention, and employee satisfaction.

The inaugural cohort wrapped up in October 2021. Within less than a week of graduation, two Amazon employees had already landed jobs in tech, with significant increases to their salaries. Because of its success and the benefits they saw with the program, Amazon expanded the program in 2022 and internationally for 2023, enrolling over 800 Amazon Associates each year.

In 2023, 9 cohorts across Amazon Cybersecurity Analytics, Amazon Data Analytics, Amazon Software Development, and Amazon Web Development have been developed.

For more information on the Amazon Career Choice program, visit the program application page.