$3M Grant Targets Madison Latinx Tech Careers
- A $3 million grant aims to expand tech training and job placement programs for Madison’s Latinx residents. - The initiative partners with local schools, employers, and nonprofits to create pipelines into software and IT roles. - Backers say the funding could change economic mobility and diversify Madison’s tech workforce (patch.com).
A Madison nonprofit says it has secured nearly $3 million to build a tech hub aimed at opening software and information technology career paths for the area’s Latinx community. (madison365.com) Centro announced the commitment on April 17, saying Ascendium Education Group will fund the new Centro Tech Hub. The nonprofit said the project will focus on digital literacy, workforce development, entrepreneurship and leadership opportunities. (wispolitics.com) Local coverage said the hub is designed to create longer-term education and career pathways for Dane County’s Latinx residents, with training tied to tech jobs rather than one-off classes. Centro said the work will roll out in three phases: community research, expansion of in-house training, and a bilingual online learning platform. (wkow.com) The timing lines up with Madison’s growth and its uneven access to high-paying work. The Census Bureau estimates Madison had 285,300 residents in 2024, and 9.4% identified as Hispanic or Latino. (census.gov) Across Dane County, Census Reporter’s 2024 American Community Survey profile estimates 588,347 residents and an 8% Hispanic population. Centro said it already serves more than 7,500 people a year with over 20,000 hours of programming, giving it an existing base for a larger workforce push. (censusreporter.org, wispolitics.com) The project also fits a broader push to widen who gets into tech. UnidosUS wrote in 2023 that Hispanics made up 17% of total U.S. employment but 8% of the science, technology, engineering and math workforce, citing Pew Research Center data. (unidosus.org) Centro is not starting from zero in this space. UnidosUS previously highlighted Centro’s participation in its Latinx in Tech program, which offers Google Career Certificates and a professional-skills curriculum tailored to tech work. (unidosus.org) Ascendium, the Madison-based funder behind the grant, says its mission is to expand education and training after high school for learners from low-income backgrounds. The organization says it collaborates with local groups on education and job-training programs that match labor-market needs in Madison. (ascendiumeducation.org, ascendiumeducation.org) Centro said the tech hub is expected to open in August, turning the grant announcement into a near-term test of whether Madison can convert local philanthropy into a steadier pipeline for Latinx tech workers. (madison365.com)
