This story was submitted as part of the #Pledge1Gives GivingTuesday campaign, which celebrates the many ways our member companies are having an impact around the world.
At Udemy, we believe that anyone, anywhere, can build a better life through access to education. With this in mind, it made total sense for us to partner with the nonprofit organization The Last Mile to help formerly incarcerated citizens equip themselves with marketable skills so they can pursue their dreams after release and move into the future with confidence.
The Last Mile works inside of prisons to provide individuals with training on tech and business skills, and their results speak for themselves. Graduates of The Last Mile programs have walked out of the prison gates as software engineers and to date have a 0% recidivism rate, compared with 55% of all formerly incarcerated people. At San Quentin State Prison, The Last Mile Works is a web development shop where individuals work on real tech projects for real paying clients, applying newly learned skills and gaining invaluable work experience. They create a portfolio of work they can show to prospective employers and be judged by the quality of their work, not the stigma of their past.
TLM grads’ release dates and their completion of skills training don’t always coincide, however, so Udemy saw a clear opportunity to fill this gap and help returning citizens continue learning and become job ready. We’ve provided free Udemy for Business licenses to 150 TLM students, giving them access to 3,500 online courses on in-demand tech topics such as Amazon Web Services, programming languages, and web development as well as important business skills, such as writing an effective resume, giving and receiving feedback, and managing workplace stress. Udemy has also donated dozens of gently used laptops to TLM students, thus removing yet another significant barrier to continuing their learning and keeping their skills updated.
Recently, Udemy hosted TLM staff and students at an all-hands meeting at our San Francisco office, where employees were excited to hear more about TLM’s work and how Udemy is supporting real people who are working hard to better themselves. After the meeting, Udemy employees held webinars with TLM program alumni to provide extra instruction in various skills and answer student questions. Having access to Udemy for Business after release also keeps these students connected to the TLM community, which helps them stay on track and reach their goals.
This is only the beginning of Udemy’s social impact partnership with The Last Mile. We’re already exploring other ways Udemy can contribute to TLM program participants making a successful transition to their new lives.
