Ryan Carson, Founder and CEO of online coding school Treehouse, knows how important it is to hire diverse teams. Not only is it good for the world, but it also helps companies discover new perspectives, see new problems, and even increase profits (to the tune of up to 30%, according to Ryan). Unfortunately, there is still a sizable gap between the number of new tech jobs created and the number of women and minorities who pursue computer science careers. After Ryan took a hard look at his own company and realized it wasn’t very diverse, he looked for ways to close that gap.

Creating a Path

Treehouse set out to build a new program for themselves. Enter: TalentPath. This program focused on training women and other underrepresented communities (who were not on a college track) for full-time technical roles. After completion of Treehouse’s online Techdegree program and a six-month apprenticeship, students were job-ready and offered full-time employment. With the apprenticeship path, Treehouse cultivated a team that was already providing value and therefore felt invested in the company. This approach ultimately fostered loyalty and increased retention (not to mention ROI).

A New Way to Hire

Treehouse saw how well the program worked for themselves. They were excited to then bring TalentPath to their customers to help diversify their workforces — and reap the internal and external benefits. Ryan and team already knew there was diverse talent out there, ready and willing, who just needed a path. They also knew there were many companies that faced diversity challenges. Those companies could use a program like TalentPath to build incredible talent, rather than compete for scarce college grads. “We just have to change how we think about talent, and how we hire that talent. We just have to open the door,” Ryan said. Treehouse already helps companies like MailChimp (read their story here) and Nike realize the benefits of apprenticeship programs. They are now on a mission to help even more companies make a positive change in the way they approach talent and hiring.

Watch Ryan’s full talk in the video above to learn more.

Thank you to Ryan for sharing Treehouse’s inspiring story at our latest CX Obsession event. Be sure to stay tuned for more videos, stories, and details on our next event. Want to see CX Obsession happen in your city? Let us know on Twitter @asknicely!

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