What do our graduates who are searching for their first job in tech (Seekers) need most? 

Experience. They need experience working on real projects, like contributing to a real production website, application, or an analysis project. We want to help provide short-term work that can go on their resume, build their confidence and demonstrate they have experience, and show that it would be a smart decision to hire them. That’s what our Fellowship program is all about.

What Are The Benefits Of Working With An NSS Fellow?

Now, what would help employers acquire and assess new talent during the coronavirus recession? What can also help get more work done at a time when hiring permanent staff may be difficult or impossible? One answer is access to freshly-trained, highly motivated talent at a below-market rate on a 12-week contract basis. It’s a great chance to get additional project work done, to evaluate potential permanent hires, and give a hand-up to a deserving career changer. 

The Fellowship Program is designed to provide Seekers with a paid “apprenticeship” (small “a” - it’s not a Registered Apprenticeship program, but it serves the same end - real on-the-job experience). And they can get paid at a living wage level for 12 weeks of work during the coronavirus recession while continuing to pursue their chosen new career path. The Fellowship Program connects Seekers with real companies that need software development, data analytics, or data science work.

Companies may leverage NSS Fellows for several reasons: 

1. They want to build a pipeline of talent they can hire when the coronavirus recession eases or want a way to evaluate potential talent in anticipation of future hiring. Great - bring on an NSS Fellow - at a below-market compensation rate (just like an apprenticeship) - and get some project work done, while evaluating that individual as a potential future hire.
2. They need additional project work done that their current staff cannot get to. Staffing may be frozen due to the coronavirus and/or the pandemic response may actually have created new demands for reporting, analysis, and monitoring applications, etc. An NSS Fellow provides qualified, below-market rate bandwidth that is eager to work on real projects, even on a temporary basis.
3. Non-profit organizations may partner with NSS to get access to 12 weeks of development or analysis work by an NSS Fellow. Nashville is blessed with a myriad of impactful small and medium-sized non-profits that can’t afford their own full-time developers, data analysts or data scientists, yet they have the same need for systems and data as the largest organizations. NSS Fellows are a low-cost, or even free resource that can have a big impact in a 12 week engagement.
4. Early-stage startups always need more work done than they can afford. An NSS Fellow can give them a well-trained resource for 12 weeks at low cost, or even free. The startup gets work done that otherwise would be delayed or cost much more of their scarce capital.

We believe this program has huge benefits for both our Seekers and employers during the COVID-19 job market gap and dramatically increases the chances for all of our Seekers to secure their first job in tech. We also believe that a permanent Fellowship Program is a great addition to the services we can offer our graduates, our employers, and the community.

We’re ready to connect Seekers with employers. To obtain more information about the NSS Fellowship Program, contact Deanna Vickers, Fellowship Program Manager, via email at fellowship@nashvillesoftwareschool.com.