Rep. Ro Khanna Headlines Launch Of Google/DMACC Partnership

Congressman Ro Khanna (left) speaks with Joel Lundstrom of Des Moines Area Community College. Khanna and Lundstrom have worked together for several years on increasing access to tech careers in Iowa.

(Editor’s Note: ce first appeared in Iowa Starting Line.)

Nearly 200 students, including many in rural and underserved communities, are on a fast path toward high-tech careers in a Google-backed program with a base in Des Moines — and ties to Silicon Valley and cutting-edge companies around the globe — that Congressman Ro Khanna shepherded from concept to classroom reality.

Khanna, a Democrat who represents Silicon Valley in California, one of the nation’s more muscular economic regions, sees bringing tech careers to a broader sweep of the nation as essential to building a modern economy — and stitching together an often culturally-divided nation.

Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) officially launched TalentSprint’s Techwise Partnership at its urban campus in north downtown Des Moines. Google is a financial force behind the 18-months of training designed to enable students to become entry-level software engineers upon completion.

Read the full column here

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