Local Nonprofit Recognized For Readying Youth For Tech Careers

WATSONVILLE, CA — Jacob Martinez, executive director of Watsonville-based nonprofit Digital NEST, was one of seven leaders from six organizations recognized in The James Irvine Foundation 2020 Leadership Awards.

Digital NEST was founded in 2014 and has served 2,500 youth in high school to 24 years old in Watsonville and Salinas, Martinez said. The nonprofit aims to show "the world that there's pools of talent that exist in communities where people don't traditionally look for talent," he said.

"There's all this talent that exists here," Martinez said. "We see it walk through our doors every day."

The typical Digital NEST-er is between the ages of 17 to 21, and could be a late-high school or early-college student planning on community college and wants a good job, though they may not transfer to a four-year university.

Despite investments in efforts to get more students of color and women into tech, progress hasn't been made, Martinez said. Local companies are looking for talent but say youth don't have the skills to compete. Instead they turn to students from University of California, Davis or California Polytechnic State University.

Digital NEST seeks to prepare students in "forgotten," under-resourced, rural communities with the skills they need to break into the industry, and put pressure on Silicon Valley employers to hire regionally.

“It is with the vision and partnership of organizations like The James Irvine Foundation that we build a thriving, inclusive California,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom in a press release about the awardees. “I applaud this year’s Leadership Award recipients for their groundbreaking work in their communities and for the next generation of Californians.”

Donate to DigitalNEST here.

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