The talent is out there, but access to tech is not always available, according to Kennon Harrison, VP, workforce partnerships, Revature – a provider of entry-level tech talent utilizing the learn-and-earn model.

WorkingNation sat down with Harrison at SXSW EDU in Austin.

“We really are a workforce development and talent enablement solution for our clients – 80 companies or other organizations, mostly fortune 500 companies with large tech talent needs,” Harrison explains.

Harrison says skilling and empowering talent while being paid, allows access for people who, otherwise, would not seek out the tech pathway.

He points out this model helps eliminate a number of barriers to entry. “Bringing new talent to get into jobs where under normal circumstances you would need two years of experience, or you would need to know somebody in a company, or you would need to pay $17,000 or $18,000 for a bootcamp, or you would need a bachelor’s degree in computer science – we bridge that gap without a lot of those prerequisites based purely on aptitude.”

Learn more about Revature.