What Can Be Done About the Equity Gap in Tech?

Military service and a career in tech were lifesavers for Odie Gray, the founder and president of Diversity Cyber Council.

Speaking on the Tech is the New Black podcast, he explained how growing up on Chicago’s east side led him to a life of gangs and homelessness. “Growing up wasn’t easy,” he said on the podcast. “Truly, it was trenches.”

His senior year, because of his lifestyle at the time, he was expelled from high school. While it may have seemed like a low point, Gray sees that time as pivotal for his life and career. His grandmother, who raised Gray, encouraged him to finish his schooling. And he did.

He earned his GED and shortly after joined the military, one of the best decisions he’s made.

In an interview with Skillsoft, he said:

“Being in the military, for me, was one of the most eye-opening experiences as it relates to diversity,” he said. “Many of my battle buddies, people I served with, come from all different cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities, and we all came together to fill a unique mission and purpose. I think Diversity Cyber Council incorporates that ideology.”

Gray and several military veterans started the Diversity Cyber Council after discussing the persistent inequity in tech. Collectively, they see how fast tech is advancing and recognize that historically under-represented communities may be further at a disadvantage if nothing is done to help.

That’s the mission:

Diversity Cyber Council is a 501c3 Non-Profit that serves under-represented demographics in the tech industry by facilitating education, training, and staffing opportunities to establish a sustainable and diverse talent pipeline to the workforce.

Gray and the other founding members are striving to help communities around the world find opportunities in the tech industry — which is often burdened by labor and skill shortages, burnout and attrition, and a lack of equity.

A reported released in September 2024 by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) delves into the composition of the tech industry from 2014 to 2022. The findings show a longstanding disparity in the sector.

In a press release announcing the report’s findings, EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows said:

“Sixty years after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, there is a high degree of underrepresentation and a disturbing lack of career advancement for female, Black, and Hispanic workers in the high tech workforce, despite the recent period of growth in high tech occupations. America’s high tech sector, which leads the world in crafting technologies of the future, should not have a workforce that looks like the past. These data raise serious questions that deserve serious answers.”

This is the racial and gender make-up of the tech industry, according to the report:

The workforce in tech is overwhelmingly made up of people who identify as White. Those who identify as Black, Hispanic or Asian make up a fraction of the overall workforce, with little improvement over the past decade.

Skillsoft’s 2024 IT Skills and Salary Report — a survey of 5,100 IT professionals — found a similar composition:

• 39% White
• 27% Asian
• 13% Black
• 9% Hispanic
• 6% Prefer not to answer
• 3% Identify another way
• 2% Native American
• 1% Native Hawaiian

For an industry that’s in constant need of new talent, new skills, new ideas, what can be done about this inequity?

Gray and the team at the Diversity Cyber Council know what to do. But they’re running into trouble.

Gray broke into the tech industry during his time in the military. During this service, he enrolled in a two-week certification prep course to earn CompTIA’s Security+ — a foundational, yet highly respected cybersecurity credential that complies with the Department of Defense’s 8140 requirements. Of the 50 soldiers who enrolled, only two passed the exam at the end of the period. Gray and one other. 

After his service ended, Gray stayed with cybersecurity. He worked in the field for nearly two decades before founding the Diversity Cyber Council.  

Cybersecurity, in particular, is a domain of tech that’s desperate for workers. Cyber Seek, an organization that tracks employment trends in cybersecurity, estimates there are 457,000 job openings in the U.S. right now. The organization shows the gaps nationwide, reporting the imbalance in supply and demand.  

Skillsoft’s own research corroborates this. The highest percentage of IT leaders say cybersecurity is the toughest area to hire for — more than tech support, AI, cloud or any other area. And yet, it’s their second highest priority in the year ahead, just behind AI.  

Clearly, there’s a need for skilled professionals.  

The Diversity Cyber Council sees the challenge: A lack of diversity and equity in tech juxtaposed with a relentless demand for workers. It plans to turn this challenge into opportunity for under-served communities.  

Gray forecasts a win-win scenario:  

The tech industry needs professionals who have the skills to operate and maintain systems, to create and innovate, and to get the most of technological investments.  

There are also many people around the world who are searching for opportunities, for good-paying jobs and a chance to make a better life for themselves and their families.  

The tech industry needs people. People need jobs. The challenge is the connection point. Solve that, it’s a big win-win. 

But how? 

Enter: Diversity Cyber Council’s latest campaign, “Tech is the New Trap.” 

“What we’re doing with it is using our art, our music, our entertainment to reinforce more equitable pathways into tech entrepreneurship and tech careers for at-risk youth and people of color,” Gray said in the Tech is the New Black podcast.  

An announcement of the campaign describes it this way: “Our campaign is about representation, advocacy and equity in tech achieved by the economic and financial progression of our people, the 365-day celebration of black excellence, and being intentional about collaborating and supporting one another as a community.”  

A few main initiatives make up the campaign:  

• TRAP U — TRAP stands for Technology Readiness Apprenticeship Programming University. It serves as a resource hub for technologists of color.   
• Affordable Connectivity Program — Part of the campaigns goal is to equip people with resources. The ACP is an FCC-run program to help low-income households pay for internet and devices, like laptops.  
• Business Partnerships — Diversity Cyber Council has partnered with organizations including Vower, a platform that connects people to gigs, and Skillsoft, which provides training content for its programs. “The Skillsoft content plays a significant role,” he said. “In the design of our program, we leverage Skillsoft Percipio to be able to gauge the progress of our scholars.”  

Gray and the team created a website for the campaign, spread the word on social media, and worked with its network of partners to recruit ambitious individuals chasing new opportunities. Those who enrolled became scholars.  

The Diversity Cyber Council offers its scholars four programs today, with more coming in the future. The programs provide scholars with exam vouchers and access to Skillsoft and Coursera for up to a year after completion. 

Cybersecurity Diversity Apprenticeship Program 

A 9-week program designed to help scholars earn the CompTIA Security+ certification. The program includes on-demand and instructor-led training, career counseling and resume writing, discounts on laptops, and more. Scholars also walk away with the entry-level cybersecurity skills they need to break into the tech industry.  

High School Cyber Program 

An 8-week program for high school juniors and seniors that provide them with free training and paid internships with partner companies. It’s meant to teach them basic technology and cybersecurity skills. Upon completion, it sets them up to pass the CompTIA Fundamentals+ certification exam.  

CompTIA Fundamentals+ 30 Day Challenge 

A month-long program that’s meant to help scholars pass the CompTIA Fundamentals+ certification exam. It includes on-demand and instructor-led training.  

Cybersecurity Workforce Development Apprenticeship Program  

This yearlong program helps scholars land internships, while attending instructor-led training.  

Despite persistent funding challenges, the organization has managed to help thousands of scholars with scholarships, devices, and training. “I’m proudest of our resilience and our ability to produce significant impact, despite the lack of resources and funding,” he said.  

Over the past year, the campaign has resulted in…  

• 11 community events 
• 75 device giveaways 
• 505 TRAP University scholarships 
• 1,093 scholars in the ACP 
• 2,087 TRAP University graduates 

The program has impacted thousands of lives, and here’s what some program graduates have said about their experiences:  

“I feel like their mission really resonated with me… because it provided not just a pathway into the industry but a very supportive and inclusive community,” said Zaara Qadri, who transition into tech after a career in real estate. See the whole testimonial here. 

“I definitely learned the technical skills I needed but also how to network and set yourself apart in a very competitive market,” said Chase Green, who was awarded a scholarship. See the whole testimonial here. 

“I’ve gained invaluable knowledge and skills that have equipped me for a future career in tech,” said one scholar who completed the CompTIA IT Fundamentals+ 30 Day Challenge.  

For many of those who have completed these programs, the opportunity has been nothing short of life-changing. But naturally, the work doesn’t end.  

Gray’s goal and that of the Diversity Cyber Council is to establish a talent pipeline, stretching from underserved communities to companies of all kinds that need technologists.  

To do that, Gray hopes to offer more programs to more scholars. He wants to continue measuring the impact of these programs, including how many graduates go onto secure jobs in the industry. And he wants to grow the the organization internationally.  

“It is fulfilling and impactful work, yet the sobering reality is that many black-led organizations like ourselves don’t get equitable access to funding,” he said. “Even now, funding is up in the air for us. Every program is a ‘what if.’ Fortunately, we continue to answer the call and that’s what fuels our impact.”  

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