The Ernestine McClendon
TALENT GRANT
EMPOWERING UNDERREPRESENTED TALENT PROFESSIONALS
BUILDING A MORE DIVERSE RECRUITING INDUSTRY
“Our mission is to provide access, training, and support to encourage talent from all walks of life to build fulfilling careers in the tech recruiting industry.
The Ernestine McClendon Talent Grant provides Tech Recruiter Certification, mentorship, training and community to professionals from BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled and other underrepresented communities to enter and flourish within the tech recruiting industry.
By providing this talent grant, Recruiting Innovation seeks to bring a new wave of recruiters into the industry. We firmly believe the more diverse our recruiting teams are, the more diverse our teams will be. We are actively building the pipeline to bring about a more diverse recruiting industry.”
CEO & Founder
Recruiting Innovation
WHAT THE GRANT OFFERS
HELPING BUILD THE DIVERSITY PIPELINE FOR THE TALENT INDUSTRY
GET TECH CERTIFIED!
Grant recipients are enrolled in a 12-hour online technical training program to become Certified Tech Recruiters.
FOSTERING COMMUNITY
Ongoing support & community building during the 5-month program with networking events & study groups.
ACCESS TO NETWORKS
Recipients are matched with industry talent leaders to expand their network & provide access to mentorship and opportunities.
ABOUT THE ERNESTINE MCCLENDON TALENT GRANT
Named after the legendary Ernestine McClendon, the first black talent agent and the first agent to represent black talent, Recruiting Innovation seeks to continue her mission through this grant program to support and elevate underrepresented talent, specifically within the recruiting industry. The Talent Grant program runs biannually with cohorts of 50 grant recipients, bringing 100 diverse Certified Tech Recruiters to the market every year. Recruiting Innovation is committing $80,000 in training, certification and professional support to achieve this goal.
Launched by Recruiting Innovation in July 2020, the Ernestine McClendon Talent Grant provides Tech Recruiter Certification, mentorship, training and community to professionals from BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled and other underrepresented communities. Our mission is to provide access and support to encourage talent from all walks of life to build fulfilling careers in the tech recruiting industry.
Our 2020 Graduates
GRANT COHORT
$18k
IN GRANTS AWARDED
CERTIFIED GRADUATES
MENTORS & SPEAKERS
MEET THE 2020 TALENT GRANT
Recipients & Graduates
“The biggest takeaway from being part of this talent grant cohort is the feeling of inclusivity and understanding of everyone’s different journey. I loved hearing the different perspectives of the professionals we heard from as well as the personal stories and career paths of everyone in the cohort.”
“Receiving this grant afforded me the ability to earn certification in a high demand area that I would not have been able to achieve on my own due to my recent layoff due to COVID. The knowledge I obtained is priceless and I’m looking forward to utilizing it in the workforce.”
“This has been a blessing for me. I have learned beyond what I expected and the addition of the mentors has made this such a rewarding experience for me. I am so excited to take what I have learned and apply it to my work.”
How You Can Get Involved
Our next Talent Grant cohort will commence in early 2022. We are now accepting applications for this cohort.
EMPOWER YOURSELF
APPLY
FOR THE GRANT
Are you a member of a traditionally underrepresented community?
Do you want to have a positive impact through helping people connect with their dream jobs while helping companies to expand their teams?
Please complete an application form to be considered for this grant.
ELEVATE YOUR PEERS
NOMINATE
A GRANT RECIPIENT
Do you know a high-potential person from an underrepresented community who would make a great recruiter?
Or an experienced recruiter who has been wanting to get into technical recruiting?
Please help us expand our reach and nominate a high-potential talent for this grant below.
PAY IT FORWARD
MENTOR
A GRANT RECIPIENT
Do you have 3+ years experience recruiting for any industry?
Do you remember what it was like to start getting your bearings in the recruiting industry?
Would you like to help a new recruiter orient to their new career? Please sign up to be a mentor!
Why We Are Offering This Grant
“As a society and as organizations we are at a crossroads. We all must decide how we are going to leverage our resources in this moment. Are we going to maintain the status quo or are we going to drive change through meaningful action and allocation of resources?”
— Alison Daley, founder and CEO of Recruiting Innovation
The Ernestine McClendon Talent Grant was created to attract, train, certify and meaningfully support underrepresented talent to enter and excel within the technical recruiting industry.
The goal is to help over 100 underrepresented recruiters and talent professionals to become Certified Technical Recruiters. Recruiting Innovation is committing $80,000 in training, certification and professional support to achieve this goal.
Learn more in our blog article and hear directly from our founder why she wanted to start this grant in our Facebook Live video.
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