August 11, 2025
The program has already widened the job market for HBCU students.
A congressman from California aims to provide HBCU students with job opportunities in the tech industry.
Rep. Ro Khanna has partnered with Jackson State University to promote technological fields for students across the HBCU community. The initiative will educate students on emerging and established roles within the tech industry, such as AI and advanced technology.
Khanna shared the news Aug. 7 during a conference at the Smith Robertson Museum in Jackson, Mississippi.
“There are ambitious students at our HBCUs, but we need to provide the capital to them so that they can realize their dreams,” Khanna said, as covered by WLBT.
He is primarily working on connecting students and people from the Black Southern region with the skills needed to pursue these careers. At Jackson State, experts will come to teach students through this transformative program.
“I represent Silicon Valley — $14 trillion of market value. I’ve got Apple, Google, Tesla, Nvidia, and Broadcom — all trillion-dollar companies in my district,” Khanna emphasized. “And we need to create opportunities for the Black South to have high-paying technology jobs.”
Khanna spearheaded a Google-funded workforce program called Techwise, which provides students with a stipend to work on tech development projects. The program’s first cohort at JSU consisted of 35 students, each of whom received a $5,000 stipend to complete a 10-month version of the course.
“What we did was create a program to create technology jobs and training across the country, and we partnered with about 15 different HBCUs,” explained Khanna, per the Clarion Ledger. “The students participate in a 10-hour per week, 18-month course, and then those kids get a $65,000 to $85,000 job in technology, but they also learn and are able to be mentors to future students in the program.”
Another 12 students have already begun the next cycle. They will also engage in project development and presentations, with additional mentorship helping them as they potentially earn new opportunities.
“Those students end up getting some high-paying tech jobs,” said JSU Research and Economic Development Vice President Dr. Almesha Campbell to WLBT. “They have skills they won’t necessarily get in the classroom. So, it’s more of a workforce development opportunity that will prepare them for those tech jobs immediately after graduation.”
Khanna plans to expand this venture to more HBCUs, wanting to increase the number of Black people making it to Silicon Valley. He especially wants to help Black professionals secure a greater share of the venture capital opportunities growing in the U.S. Understanding how Black Americans have been historically and systemically excluded from workforce opportunities and growth, this initiative is one way to bridge the gap for future leaders in tech.
“We’re producing more wealth than we ever have in the history of this country, and only 1 or 2% of Black Americans are getting venture capital,” added Khanna. “We excluded the Black community from the agricultural revolution. We excluded the Black community from a lot of the Industrial Revolution. Shame on us if the Black community is excluded from the digital revolution.”
This project also seeks to introduce even more HBCU students to STEM, as diversity still lags in the tech sector. According to 2021 data from the Pew Research Center, Black people make up only 9% of all jobs in the tech field. With this in mind, Khanna and JSU are leading a new pipeline for Black talent to grow.
RELATED CONTENT: Brooklyn Teen Denies Hazing, Faces ‘P-Diddy’ Bullying After Charges Dropped
