Netflix partners with Norfolk State University to set up a virtual boot camp

Netflix, earlier this year, made a million-dollar pledge to help fight against racial inequity and to advance social change in the Black community.

“At Netflix, we see the power of technology to introduce us to other communities and cultures every day,” said Kabi Gishuru, director of Netflix’s inclusion recruiting programs, in a statement. “As we continue to invest in building the best service for our members, we want to invest in the best team to support it.”

As part of keeping to its commitment, the video streaming giant has announced a recent partnership with Norfolk State University to set up a virtual tech boot camp for interested students. The partnership also includes education technology company, 2U, which is known for powering high-quality online programs and boot camps for educational institutions. This will be 2U’s first-ever HBCU partnership.

The virtual camp will be opened to both current students and alumni of the University and would kick off in early 2021. The 16-week boot camp will be divided into three program tracks: Java engineering, UX/UI design, and data science.

In addition to the boot camp, Netflix will also offer scholarships to selected NSU students to cover the cost of attendance. Up to 130 students will be accepted, cutting across all majors. All student-participants will earn three credits, and they will be taught by NSU faculty and guest lecturers. The courses will cover from databases to coding and programming. The participants will also have access to mentors.

The Netflix-NSU partnership was spurred by an alumnus of the University who is also a senior software engineer at Netflix, Michael Chase.

“The summer after my junior year at Norfolk State University, I was invited to join an IBM networking program where I was paired with a mentor, a first-year software developer. Over conversations showed me all the opportunities available after graduation and helped me focus on my desire to code. When it ended, I was able to interview at IBM for what would become my first full-time job,” said Chase.

Inspired by Chase’s experience, Netflix has realized the importance to provide training and mentorship to more Black students. The move can also help address the issue of Black representation in the tech industry, therefore, allowing Netflix to close their own “gaps”.

“That’s the impetus behind our first-ever Netflix Virtual HBCU Boot Camp, a program for students and class of 2019 and 2020 alumni from Norfolk State University,” said Gishuru. “We got to appreciate the students and faculty at Norfolk firsthand when a team of Netflix employees visited their campus last year. We saw the exceptional level of education these students are receiving and brainstormed how we could create something together to broaden their access to the tech industry.”

Gishuru said he hopes that the move Netflix is taking will motivate other companies to invest more in similar training and mentorship of the next Black tech leaders.

For more information about the Netflix-Norfolk State University virtual tech boot camp, visit Netflix.2u.com.