Correlation One Partners with OneTen to Drive Economic Prosperity for Black Talent in the Data Field

We've formed a strategic partnership with the nation’s leading coalition committed to hiring and advancing Black Americans without four-year degrees into family-sustaining jobs

Today Correlation One is pleased to announce that we've joined forces with OneTen, a coalition designed to close the opportunity gap for Black talent in the United States by working with America’s leading executives, companies, and talent developers to hire and advance one million Black Americans without four-year degrees into family-sustaining roles over the next 10 years.

This strategic partnership will allow Correlation One to share and shape best practices for sourcing, developing, and hiring Black talent.

As an endorsed OneTen talent developer, Correlation One is committed to increasing the hiring of Black talent without four-year college degrees into family-sustaining jobs by improving their hiring, retention, upskilling, and advancement practices to support a more diverse workforce and advance economic prosperity for all. As a OneTen coalition member and award-winning data skills training provider, Correlation One will train emerging data analysts and engineers and connect them with employers through a distinctive “last mile to jobs” approach.

“As part of OneTen’s growing portfolio of career development providers bridging the gap between rising Black talent and top employers, we’re proud to lend a hand in the advancement of Black Americans’ financial and professional goals,” said Sham Mustafa, Correlation One Co-Founder and Co-CEO. “At the same time, we know that by diversifying their data talent, our forward-thinking Employer Partners can leverage a wider range of capabilities and viewpoints to advance business goals.”

Offered 100% free to learners from groups historically underrepresented in the data field, Correlation One training programs have received more than 150,000 applications and trained over 7,000 students. Over 60% of the trainees are Black — a strikingly significant number given that Black professionals comprise only 7.3% of U.S. data analysts.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates strong job growth within the data field at a rate of 27.9% through 2026, with employers willing to pay well for emerging talent. However, significant and pervasive structural barriers remain in place for rising data talent to acquire the technical skills necessary to secure professional positions in the lucrative, growing data economy.

While the job market continues to grow amid rising inflation and a looming recession, the racial wealth gap in America remains wide. This is largely due to the lack of access to quality, well-paying jobs that do not require college degrees:  79% of jobs paying more than $50,000 require a four-year college degree, which automatically excludes the 76% of Black Americans over age 25 with relevant experience who don’t have baccalaureate degrees.

With Black professionals representing less than 8% of the technology workforce, harnessing multi-stakeholder partnerships is vital to spearheading diversity and fostering pathways to success.

“Connecting Black talent through the kind of data skills training and upskilling Correlation One offers is critical to addressing the growing needs in today’s data economy,” said Maurice Jones, OneTen CEO. “We’re thrilled to partner with Correlation One - to unlock workforce opportunities for Black talent in the data-driven jobs of the future and implement the skills that will enable Black talent to achieve generational wealth.”