Non-profit provides training for Black youth in finance, STEM careers
Government wants to address underrepresentation in financial, business and engineering fields
Throughout his career in telecommunications and technology, Bryan Johnson experienced the same thing, over and over.
“I’ve always been the only person of colour in the room,” Johnson said. “I’ve lived in four different provinces, and I’ve always been the only person of colour in the room.”
So two years ago, Johnson started the non-profit Black Boys Code — now operating in Toronto, Durham, Hamilton, Calgary and Vancouver — “dedicated to introducing young, Black boys to computer science.
“One of the goals is to narrow the gap in diversity . . . African Canadians are not represented in the STEM fields,” he said, referring to science, technology, engineering and math. “We need to have more people of colour in the room.”
That’s also the thinking behind a government-led initiative, announced Friday, to boost the number of Black youth in fields such as engineering, finance and insurance, through targeted career training and work-placement programs.
The $1.5 million a year, starting next year, will be given to agencies and firms in Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa and Windsor.
“Our government is working to level the playing field for our province’s Black youth,” said Michael Coteau, minister of children and youth services, who is also in charge of the province’s anti-racism initiatives.
“Despite having a post-secondary education, many Black youth and young professionals are under-represented in fields such as engineering, finance and life sciences. By partnering with private businesses and service agencies, we are improving opportunities for our Black youth and ensuring they are positioned for success both now and in the future.”
The move is part of the government’s Black Youth Action Plan, which is spending $47 million in total on strategies to help 10,000 Black youth and families, mainly in urban centres, who face higher unemployment rates and lower incomes.
At the University of Toronto, the engineering faculty runs a program, ENGage, to engage Black youth in weeklong, hands-on summer camps. It was created a decade ago when the issue of diversity was raised by students who were members of U of T’s National Society of Black Engineers (NBSE).
“More and more, the kids who come to our program leave feeling as if they can change the world,” said Dawn Britton, associate director of U of T’s Engineering Outreach Office. “. . . All of our instructors are current engineering students, and a majority of them are a part of the NSBE.”
“This program was a specific response to a need that our Black engineering students said existed in our faculty.”