Obsidi Academy disrupts the Black talent “Network gap” in the tech industry

TORONTO, June 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ – Black Professionals in Tech Networking (BPTN) is bridging the tech industry “Network gap” by providing corporations with a direct pathway to hire impactful Black tech talent. On September 21, 2022, BPTN launched their Obsidi Academy Full-stack Developer bootcamp with the annual goal to graduate and employ 200 Black professionals at TD, the official Obsidi Academy launch sponsor and founding employer.

In December 2022, the Obsidi Academy’s three-month long bootcamp, graduated 40 Black professionals, from Cohort 1, as Full-stack Developers. After Cohort 1, Obsidi Academy iterated the bootcamp to reflect the changing tech landscape and meet TD’s business needs. In April 2023, Cohort 2 graduated 94 Black professionals as Associate Software Engineers. BPTN is on track to achieve its 200 annual graduation goal by November 2023, and, in partnership with TD, is geared up to employ a total of 600 Obsidi Academy graduates by 2025!!

“Obsidi Academy delivers a blue ocean of top-tier talent, disrupting how the tech industry hires diverse talent. BPTN empowers Black professionals to secure employment in their chosen field, and provides companies with talent that increases Black representation in the technology industry.” – Lekan Olawoye, Founder and CEO of BPTN

Obsidi Academy Alumni that fulfilled both the Obsidi Academy and TD onboarding requirements are employed, at TD, as Associate Software Engineers. They are making invaluable contributions in various technical departments — Software Engineering (SWE), Data as a Service (DaaS), Developer Experience (DevX), Quality Engineering (QE), Securities, Cloud, Streaming, Business Banking, Enablement, and Mainframe.

Obsidi Academy continues our mission to disrupt how the tech industry recruits, develops, and hires Black talent. “We systematically horizon-scan the tech industry and collaborate with both TD’s leadership and tech experts to identify their near and long-term business, tech, and talent needs. This ensures that the Obsidi Academy keeps pace with tech industry standards and advancements. We pivot as needed to meet the business demands and facilitate employment of highly skilled Black tech talent that helps TD meet their critical business goals,” states Heather Katz, PhD., Head of Obsidi Academy and Learning and Development at BPTN.

On June 6, 2023 BPTN will host the, invite only, Obsidi Academy Alumni Celebration where we will showcase stellar Black tech talent and highlight their success at TD! Please join us in applauding their achievements and impact on the tech industry!

Want to apply to Obsidi Academy? – Visit obsidi.com/obsidi-academy.
Want to partner with Obsidi Academy to hire Black tech talent? – contact Obsidi Academy.
TD and BPTN Academy Graduation video

Black Professionals in Tech Network (BPTN) is the largest Black community of tech professionals in North America. Founded in 2018, BPTN bridges the network gap in the tech industry by providing Black technical and business professionals with access to senior executive sponsorship, skills building and a strong peer network to level up their careers. BPTN partners with companies to attract, hire and retain Black talent. With more than 50 thousand members and 66 customers, BPTN has launched Obsidi.com a multi-sided networking platform of choice for professionals looking to learn, grown and level up their careers. Learn more here.

Obsidi.com is BPTN’s multi-sided networking platform of choice for Black professionals to network, learn, grow and level up their careers. Obsidi is a strong peer community that keeps members up to date with the latest industry news, jobs and events. Corporate partners come to Obsidi to attract, hire and retain Black talent. Be seen. Be Connected on Obsidi.com. Learn more here.

SOURCE Black Professionals in Tech Network