• Renovation of the 45,217 sq. ft. space will begin this year and be completed in the next two years. • Bitwise Industries is a California company that puts technology training and employment hubs in cities that are often underserved or overlooked in the tech industry. • All Bitwise courses are taught twice a week on weeknights from 6 to 9 p.m. • Bitwise has trained more than 10,000 nontraditional tech students.
“We are very excited to welcome Bitwise to Las Cruces and the investment they are making in our downtown,” Lopez said in a news release. “Their innovative apprenticeship program to train, grow and employ local high-tech talent will not only provide new career opportunities for our residents but will additionally foster an ecosystem that is attractive to future companies looking at our region for growth.”
California-based company has chosen downtown Las Cruces to open a technology training and employment hub. Bitwise Industries’ goal is to provide accessible education at an affordable (and at times free) and service placement to students who may not have access to these types of education. Bitwise offers six-week classes, at a cost of $250, in several technology skills accompanied by a one-year, paid apprenticeship program that feeds into Bitwise’s technology consulting business.
The Bitwise tech hub in Las Cruces will be using the proven model developed in Fresno, Bakersfield, mercer and Oakland California. “Bitwise was founded in 2013, so we’re a little more than nine years old,” said Tammi Sherman, vice president for the company’s Toledo, Ohio campus and a regional vice president supporting the new locations in Buffalo, New York, El Paso and Las Cruces. “We’ve been really on a mission of finding places where stories of poverty are surfacing — really looking for opportunities and spaces where technology can grow.” Sherman said the company focuses on underserved communities — including people of color, LGBTQ+, veterans and people who grew up in foster care, for example. “We try to eliminate barriers for those who may have grown up in certain situations — folks who likely would not have access to the tech industry because of their background, or even the city that they’re in,” Sherman said. Sherman added that each site’s local workforce is just that — local. “It is the folks from that city, from that neighborhood, that community,” she said. “We don’t bring folks from California in and then just do the Bitwise deal. We find the untapped talent that is already there. We train and develop them in tech, hiring the majority of them into this space to develop and create our world-class software.” By creating a stronger technology sector in the city, Sherman said the company hopes it can attract future companies to Las Cruces.
—Sherman shared with the Sun-News
Bitwise Classes offered in Las Cruces
Bitwise classes are offered twice a week on weeknights
Monday and Wednesday 6pm-9pm
Tuesday and Thursday 6pm-9pm
The sources include
- Websites for Beginners
- Mobile-Friendly Websites
- Javascript for Beginners
- React (a tool used in web development)
Each six-week course costs $250, however, Sherman said most students qualify for scholarships that cover their tuition. “The majority — and I mean the majority — of the students do not pay. We scholarship them in, through our philanthropic work and some government work,” Sherman told the Sun-News. Bitwise has trained more than 10,000 nontraditional tech students, with 80% of those getting jobs in the technology industry, according to a company statement.
What’s Next for downtown Las Cruces and the Bank of the West building
Building renovation will begin at the end of 2021. The building’s design will be using the existing design and concepts from Bitwise Industries’ other locations offering reservable conference rooms, private office space for lease, day care services, murals from local artists, classrooms for technology training, coffee and joule bar, spaces for community gatherings and more.
The Bank of the west branch located within the building will remain open. Anita Fox, head of corporate communications for Bank of the West said to the Sun-News. “We’re really excited that we’ve partnered with some local investors to call that new location home,” Sherman said. “If you take a look at all of our buildings, they are all very unique, with Bitwise personality. We use murals, we use local artists to help decorate them, because we want to be respectful of the location — if it’s historical, we want to help preserve it. But, we also want it to be a reflection of what’s happening in the community.”
Sherman said the details are still being ironed out for the renovation, but said she assures that it will be “very unique to Las Cruces.” Plans are underway for a café, which will be open to the public. The childcare services will be offered for free to the company’s employees, Sherman said. “The sky is really the limit on what could be in the building,” she said. “One of our locations might have an arcade — but, whatever it is, it’s intended to be a ‘collision space’ for all of the folks who are in the building to come together, interact and have an amazing experience while they’re working and serving the community.”
Everyone is Welcome!
Sherman told the Sun-News that the Bitwise spaces are open to everyone — in alignment with the company’s mission of removing barriers to employment. “First of all, we welcome everyone,” Sherman said. “Our campuses are designed to be open to all. Whether you’re doing business or not, we have free Wi-Fi in the space. There’s a cafeteria or a café. And there are spaces to lease out to potential tenants.
No Obstacles
In addition to scholarship initiatives and childcare benefits, the company also pays for healthcare benefits and offers unlimited paid time off for its employees, Sherman said. “The ultimate goal isn’t to keep them at that level. We are really, primarily, trying to push them into paid apprenticeships,” said Santiago Villegas, a Bitwise spokesman. “And that really moves people from learning to actually earning.” Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima praised Bitwise for helping to grow the city’s technology sector while tapping into the community’s untapped resources. “I appreciate Bitwise and how they will not only train our future workforce through technology, but these team members will also receive a competitive salary while they learn,” Miyagishima said. “What an incredible opportunity.” Similarly, Davin Lopez, president & CEO of the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance, hailed the possibilities that Bitwise could bring to the region.
Article Source:
Damien D. Willis
Las Cruces Sun-News
