Every NPower graduate is a success story in more than one way: Each job placement creates ripple effects that extend through families, neighborhoods, and local economies. Stable tech careers lead to security, opportunity, and stronger communities.
Tech Careers as a Catalyst for Change
Access to tech training transforms individual lives, and those transformations extend outward. According to CompTIA, employment in technology occupations is projected to grow twice as fast as overall employment through 2033. These are stable, well-paying jobs with strong demand.
By preparing individuals for these careers, NPower helps them build a pathway from underemployment to lasting economic mobility. Many NPower trainees enter the program after years of low-wage or unstable work. With new skills, certifications, and support, NPower graduates secure jobs that offer higher pay and real career growth.
Graduates see an average income increase of 300 to 500 percent. A $7,500 investment in one student can add $1 million in lifetime income. Stability transforms households, allowing families to invest in the future.
Economic Mobility Through Skill Building
Technical certifications and professional development create stronger communities through opportunity.
NPower alumni move into specialized areas such as cloud, cybersecurity, and data analytics, earning industry credentials that increase long-term earning potential. Their expertise strengthens local tech ecosystems.
Graduates often pursue advanced training through NPower’s Path2Tech programs or alumni partnerships, keeping them current as industry needs evolve.
Strengthening Families Through Financial Stability
When someone gets a stable job, their family gains stability.
Reliable income reduces stress, improves access to healthcare, and breaks cycles of poverty. Steady paychecks create room to plan, save, and build toward long-term goals. That can mean college savings, home ownership, and less reliance on public assistance.
Children of NPower graduates gain opportunities through better educational access and exposure to professional career paths.
Karla Medina-Velazquez, a single mother who was working in fast food when she found NPower, now works as a Tier 1 Analyst at 2U. She earned a Google IT Support Certificate as well as CompTIA ITF+ certification. “Thanks to NPower, I can provide a better life for my son,” she says.
Mental and Emotional Wellbeing
Financial security and meaningful work strengthen emotional wellbeing and build resilience.
NPower graduates report higher confidence, lower stress, and a greater sense of purpose. Their families experience less strain. And for veterans and military spouses, stability eases the transition into civilian life.
Dashawn Brownley became a father in high school and spent years in unfulfilling jobs before finding NPower. Now he works as an IT Help Desk Analyst at Under Armour. “Thank you for making NPower possible,” he says. “You’re helping young individuals get to the next level for their family and to provide for that family. It’s not just a gift, it’s bigger.”
The Community-Level Impact
Every graduate contributes to the health of their local economy.
NPower graduates fuel that growth by spending, paying taxes, and engaging in their communities. Through initiatives such as the St. Louis Community Help Desk, NPower alumni actively support their communities. The Help Desk offers device troubleshooting, workshops, and more.
Higher household earnings help local businesses, attracting investment and creating new opportunities. NPower’s focus on reskilling ensures talent growth happens within the communities where graduates live—building resilience for the long term.
Equity as an Economic Driver
Hiring people from a range of backgrounds strengthens innovation and profitability. According to a recent report from McKinsey, “companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are 39 percent more likely to outperform peers, continuing an upwards trend from 15 percent in 2015.”
Teams with more perspectives are more successful. “A strong business case for ethnic diversity is also consistent over time, with a 39 percent increased likelihood of outperformance for those in the top quartile of ethnic representation versus the bottom quartile,” the McKinsey report says. With more perspectives, teams innovate more and align with the customers and communities they serve.
By training women, veterans, and people from non-traditional backgrounds, NPower helps employers build teams that drive both social and economic growth. NPower’s Command Shift program creates customized training pathways for women from low-income communities and non-traditional backgrounds. This coalition of Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and other organizations is unlocking potential that benefits students and employers.
The Broader Workforce Ecosystem
NPower’s partnerships with employers and funders sustain a pipeline that delivers value for everyone involved. Companies gain reliable talent, funders see measurable returns, and students gain access to transformative opportunities. One opportunity leading to another is yet another way the ripple effect becomes real.
Recent collaborations with organizations such as Pluralsight, MetLife Foundation, and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation have amplified NPower’s ability to scale. Each partnership increases the reach and effectiveness of the model. With more than 12,000 graduates and a goal to place 15,000 more by 2030, NPower continues to prove that community-based workforce development is possible and sustainable. The NPower alumni network grows stronger with each graduate.
NPower graduates demonstrate persistence, adaptability, and commitment. Their contributions help businesses stay competitive and reflect the communities they serve. By hiring through NPower, companies help close the digital skills gap and build a more resilient economy.
Together, funders, employers, and NPower all work together to create long-term change.
The Ongoing Ripple Effect
The impact of a single NPower placement continues long after the graduate starts a job.
Choice Jackson, an Air Force veteran who now works as an Engineer Analyst at Citi, considers NPower a catalyst. “My apprenticeship has literally changed the entire trajectory of my life,” she says. She now serves on the Leadership Committee of Citi’s Pathfinders team and mentors NPower apprentices—including her own daughter, who is enrolled in NPower Texas.
NPower’s alumni network stretches across industries and regions. Every graduate who mentors another helps shape the next generation of tech talent. Equitable access to opportunity does more than help individual families–it strengthens teams and communities, with positive impact rippling outward.
Partner with NPower today to create more pathways to growth.
