As part of a wider effort to help build a quality talent pool of tech professionals for New York City businesses, Brooklyn College, working with NYC Tech Talent Pipeline, offers computer science students the opportunity to receive on-the-job training at leading companies. Begun in the summer of 2020 and administered by the Department of Computer and Information Science and the Magner Career Center, the TTP (The Tech Talent Pipeline) Residency @ Brooklyn College is a competitive program that has placed more than 60 students in three-month internships that give them valuable career experience. Students enroll in the residency and participate in pre-internship training in web development as well as soft skills such as effective communication, teamwork, and leadership. After the pre-internship course, students complete paid internships as web and mobile developers or software engineers, with connections to job opportunities after they graduate. The students are not the only ones to gain from the program as valuable feedback from host businesses can help Brooklyn College better align its tech program with the workforce needs of employers, particularly in New York City. “The TTP program gives students a competitive edge in a highly sought out field,” says Natalia Guarin-Klein, director of the Magner Career Center. “And those who go through the program are able to contribute to the tech ecosystem in New York City.” Senior Dennis Klimenkov interned at The Washington Post via the TTP program. “Even with my projects, a high GPA, and community work, I had trouble getting interviews at companies because I had no experience,” says Klimenkov, who is president of the Brooklyn College Computer Science Club. As part of the TTP Residency, he took a pre-internship course that helped him build on what he had already learned about Web development. After the residency he was chosen for the internship. “Those months at the Washington Post were the best of my life. I learned so many cool technologies and established professional connections,” says Klimenkov, who has been offered an internship extension with an offer for full-time position at the newspaper upon graduation. Thierno souleymane Diallo ’21, a native of Guinea, found the process of seeking an internship daunting because he was unfamiliar with job-hunting in the United States. A friend previously enrolled in the program motivated him to do it. The TTP Residency helped him even before starting his internship at the real-estate company Zillow, where he will begin working full-time in January 2022. “The [pre-internship seminar] helps you to be confident, teaches you how to express [yourself], how to value yourself,” says Diallo. “It prepares you to be a good fit for any job that you would like to have.” For information about the program for students reach out to Tech Talent Pipeline Career Coach Curtis Cox at Curtis.Cox@brooklyn.cuny.edu and for employers Allan James Lapid, Tech Talent Pipeline Program Manager at AllanJames.Lapid@brooklyn.cuny.edu. About Brooklyn College Widely known for its offer of an excellent education at an affordable tuition and recognized nationally for its diverse student body, Brooklyn College has been an anchor institution within the Borough of Brooklyn and greater New York City for more than 90 years. With approximately 17,000 students in more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the arts, humanities, sciences, education, and business, the college is renowned for its rigorous academics, award-winning faculty, distinguished alumni, and community impact. Part of the City University of New York (CUNY), Brooklyn College offers a vibrant and supportive student experience on a beautifully landscaped 35-acre campus in the borough’s Midwood neighborhood.
