How Nehemiah Community Empowerment Center Creates Opportunities in IT for the Greensboro Community

Greensboro, North Carolina | Nonprofit
Apprenticeship established 2021
 

Nehemiah Community Empowerment Center is a nonprofit whose mission is to empower and enrich lives within the community of Greensboro, North Carolina. Nehemiah exposes at-risk youth, teens, and adults to the STEM, robotics, and IT fields with the goal of fostering career awareness, spurring employment opportunities, and promoting diversity in these fields.

Executive Director Randi Francis noticed that many of the young people who attended Nehemiah’s computer camps were not interested in or didn’t have the means to attend college. That led her to create an alternative path to good, stable jobs in the IT field for young people in the community. With technical assistance from Apprenticeship NC, the Urban Institute, and other community partners, Nehemiah’s pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs were launched.

There are many pathways into Nehemiah’s apprenticeship programs. Community members can apply to a program directly or be referred by local schools, city council members, and court officials.

Before starting the apprenticeship program, individuals are first placed into an eight-week pre-apprenticeship program that teaches digital literacy and job readiness skills. Participants who complete the pre-apprenticeship then move to a registered apprenticeship focused on obtaining an industry standard certification and completing on-the-job training.

While they obtain the skills, certifications, and work experience needed to enter the tech industry, apprentices earn a starting wage of $15 per hour with progressive increases throughout their 18-month apprenticeship. Apprentices also work alongside mentors to run Nehemiah’s STEM and robotics after-school programs and summer camps.

Since the program launched in 2021, 95 percent of Nehemiah apprentices have completed the program, with over 85 percent of apprentices finding employment within the IT sector afterward.

With support from the Urban Institute, Nehemiah offers students access to Grow with Google’s IT Generalist certification, boosting their qualifications as they enter the job market. Apprentices can also acquire CompTIA certifications during the program.

The success of Nehemiah’s apprenticeship program has catalyzed new opportunities to expand their impact. In summer 2026, Nehemiah will offer STEM programming to youth in Washington, DC, with additional apprenticeship programs planned for the future.

Apprenticeship Spotlight: Joshua Colon

After completing high school, Joshua Colon felt stuck at his job working in a warehouse and decided to enlist in the military to advance his career. One week before he was set to ship out to bootcamp, Colon was arrested for a past infraction, rendering him ineligible to proceed with his military ambitions. Soon after, NCWorks, a local career center, connected Colon with Nehemiah’s pre-apprenticeship program.

Colon excelled during his pre-apprenticeship. His determination and eagerness to learn led Nehemiah to select him for its registered IT apprenticeship program.

After earning his IT Generalist certification, Colon worked with his mentor to integrate internet networking and infrastructures into his on-the-job training.

Colon credits the apprenticeship program with teaching him the vital leadership skills needed to guide a team while making sure all members are heard and understood.

“The technical lessons gave me confidence to troubleshoot and connect systems, while the people skills taught me how to connect with others.”

—Joshua Colon
 

When asked about Colon, executive director Francis shared, “We look for the heart for the people and this community. If you come from [a justice-system involved] background, you understand and relate to the community we serve. Joshua embodies that.”

Now, Colon works as a part-time contractor for Nehemiah Community Empowerment Center as a systems administrator and STEM Academy coordinator. With the skills and confidence he gained from his apprenticeship, Colon has taken on more responsibility and projects, such as learning new software to update Nehemiah’s server. He also mentors the middle and high school robotics team, teaching them many of the same skills he learned during his apprenticeship as the team represents Nehemiah at showcases and expos across the Greensboro area.