For students looking for a career in tech, unique program offers training — and a cash stipend

Yara Kemeh learned about Launchpad Philly after watching her friend, who was a part of the organization, give a presentation.

“They had an app idea, and they presented the app idea,” she said. “There’s an audience, and I was one of those in the audience supporting my friend. And I saw a lot of women of color and people of color in this program, and it encouraged me to come in, since I’m an Arab woman.” 

A graduate of The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA), Kemeh focused on arts and graphic design in high school, but has a long-standing  interest in technology. 

“I always thought I didn’t know enough, or I didn’t have resources to actually learn what the tech was about,” she said. “I recently got a PC, and I was trying to understand all the parts and how it’s actually functioning, and when I’m getting errors, how to fix it. I have technically skilled friends and they would help me, but I wanted to learn on my own, so I don’t have to depend on others to learn these things and do all these technical aspects of it.” 

She also wants to work toward a high-paying and successful career, she said. This is where Launchpad Philly came in. 

“Launching” careers 

Launchpad was started to empower those pursuing tech as a career, said its executive director, Danyelle Austin. 

“Launchpad started about three years ago in response to this idea that many young people don’t always have access to a pathway that’s going to lead to a high-paying job opportunity if they decide college is not the right fit for them,” she said. 

“And so over the last couple of years, we’ve been working with young people starting in high school and training them in the technology skills to help them get good-paying jobs. In addition to technology skills, it’s a lot of durable skills — communication, problem-solving, growth mindset, and asking for support and feedback.” 

The classes have several levels of curricula, said Nick Imparato, Launchpad’s program director. 

“For our high school-based programs, Launchpad Foundations and Launchpad 101, the main programming language we’re teaching is Python,” he said. “We picked Python because it’s beginner-friendly and it has a ton of industry applications and a bunch of different career pathways.” 

Launchpad Foundations comes first. This is where Philly’s 11th or 12th-graders get a “glimpse” of what the program has to offer – including college credit, networking and touring local tech companies. 

“It’s an opportunity to say, ‘I think I like tech. Let me actually see what that means,’” Austin said. “Many young people don’t get access to that in high school. And so it’s a chance for them to come and just get a deep dive into lots of different technical things, and then make a decision.” 

Beyond skills, students at this stage receive up to $1,500 in stipends. 

From there, Launchpad 101 provides a more “immersive” experience. The course, which is geared toward high school seniors, involves a bigger commitment – half-days during senior year. Students in this phase will graduate with industry certification and “close relationships” with industry experts and internships. At this level, students receive up to $3,000 in stipends.

Lift Off, the final stage, is the most hands-on, Austin said. 

“It’s a full-time, really intensive and immersive program where they’re going deep into full-stack engineering, with lots of AI skills built into that,” she said. “And the goal really is to get them right into high-paying job opportunities once they finish and graduate.”

Students participating in this stage will receive up to $12,000 in a paid, hourly wage. 

Kemeh is currently participating in Lift Off while studying at Philadelphia Community College. 

The programs also leverage a variety of skills and resources, like artificial intelligence and networking, to help students feel more equipped. 

Unique pathways 

Part of the Lift Off program is creating “cutting-edge” content that will propel students to enter the workforce, Imparato said. 

“So not only can you build a website that looks good and is bug-free, but also, users who are using your site can maybe interact with the chatbot, or get some sort of feedback on documents that they’re uploading,” he said. 

Kemeh was recently able to present an app through the program that aligned with these goals. 

“Through my app, I used AI as a chatbot to help prepare students with their resume-building skills, how to negotiate [salaries and pay] and all the professional skills that you probably need in a job that hasn’t been taught in school,” she said. 

The other part of her application focuses on vetting job postings. This includes weeding out out-of-date job postings and ensuring listings students apply for are verified. 

She was also able to create connections through Launchpad that led to her current job. 

“One thing I really want to highlight that Launchpad really brought to the light that not a lot of people talk about is that networking is everything when it comes to getting jobs,” she said. “I didn’t know that, and I just was taught to go to college and to get a job and that you’re good to go. But I didn’t know at all about networking.” 

Austin said the program uses a “competency-based model.” While other workforce development programs may be focused on pushing students into jobs and checking boxes, Launchpad equips students with lifelong skills. 

“It allows us to make sure young people are demonstrating and collecting evidence, and able to talk about that evidence, of how they’re able to meet these skills and the requirements that employers are looking for,” she said. “So not just that every young person has a LinkedIn profile, but that their LinkedIn profile is hitting on all of these really critical pieces that we think are important and that are research-informed and industry-aligned.” 

Imparato said the program also “invests a lot of time” in young people. 

“For a young person who does all three programs, they’re going to be with us for two years, plus an extra summer. And so I think that’s both like a firm commitment that we’re putting out there to say, ‘Hey, we will provide you with a structured curriculum and support and financial incentives for that length of time.’”

Austin said the program is currently funded through philanthropy, foundations and individual donors, and added that the organization is in the process of creating a social enterprise as an additional revenue stream. 

The program is open to any 11th- or 12th-grader or recent high school graduate who lives in the city of Philadelphia. No prior coding experience is required. High school students can attend any kind of school – whether it’s a public, charter or virtual school. 

The organization also provides info sessions to interested groups.

“If folks would be interested in having us come in to do an info session, whether it’s at a school or community-based organization, or anywhere with young people, there’s a ‘Contact Us’ form on the website that they can use to reach out and we’ll get in touch about coming in to do an info session,” he said. 

Applications for the next cohort will be due on Feb. 15, 2026. Imparato said there is a short essay attached to the application, and an interview process that follows. 

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