QUESTION ONE $[50]$

Read the following article and answer the questions that follow

Healing the talent gap with homemade talent and a skills$-$first economy

As breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and machine learning continue warping reality into

a sci$-$fi blockbuster, the call for quality, digital ready talent has never been louder. Leaders

everywhere are in the lurch for skilled workers, making the need for a $$reconsideration of

local economic development strategy$$ exceedingly salient.

Although building a community$-$based skilling ecosystem can seem onerous on paper, the

leaders of Virginia$$s Arlington County have proven it can be quite simple. And they have just

the prototype to prove it$.$

Spanning just under $26$ square miles, Arlington is the small but mighty homestead of a

thriving pipeline for technology talent. For several years now, Virginia has been making

tremendous strides through its unprecedented investments in workforce development,

university partnerships and local training programs. Part and parcel of the state$$s success,

Arlington has made its own investments in growing quality tech talent through its Talent Pilot

Program; in partnership with software company Exelaration, the region$$s economic and

workforce development teams give residents the opportunity to kickstart their careers in

software development through experiential learning.

Cultivating talent from the ground up

Today, talent concerns are a leading consideration behind organizations$$ decisions to

relocate and open new business sites. As such, establishing a robust talent pipeline can pay

huge dividends for local economies down the road.

Propelled by Virginia$$s billion$-$dollar Tech Talent Investment Program, Arlington$$s leaders

made the successful campaign to become the landing site of Amazon$$s newest outpost, the

east coast headquarters dubbed HQ$2.$ Director of Arlington Economic Development Ryan

Touhill says Amazon$$s arrival really underscored the importance of building a scalable talent

pipeline in the community.

From HQ$2,$ explains Touhill, came the inspiration for a community$-$level talent program that

$$really focused on software development and helping people with non$-$technology

backgrounds and limited or no education in technology or computer science, transition into

technology jobs.$$ To lift this vision from the blueprints, Touhill$$s team and its partners at

Exelaration created the Arlington Talent Pilot Program, a $20-$week training course that

provides training in a combination of hard and soft skills, as well as valuable mentorship

around charting STEM$-$related career pathways.

For its first cohort, the program took $12$ leaders. Through the full$-$time, paid apprenticeship

model, participants gained $$a fast track to getting on$-$the$-$job training and certifications$$

alongside practical experience that they could then leverage for subsequent opportunities.

Touhill says $80$ percent of participants from that initial cohort landed full$-$time positions in

software development, a strong testament to the efficacy of experiential learning models.

As Exelaration owner Steve Cooper writes over email, the program $$helps motivated

residents change their careers and lives through technology training, hands$-$on experience

and career mentoring$$ designed for individuals with a basic skills framework in software

development, the program helps learners break into the tech industry and gain solid footing

in a field they might otherwise have been unable to climb.

Cooper says the program trains learners in a breadth of professional skills ranging from

standard $$business etiquette$$ to more acute knowledge in $$software best practices and Agile

methodologies.$$ Following in$-$depth training with seasoned Exelarate engineers, participants

engage with hands$-$on application through learning projects with real employers. At the

program$$s conclusion, these participating companies can hire their $$vetted engineers$$ at no

additional cost.

Homegrown talent makes for a healthy economy

By all accounts, the program is a huge boon to both the local economy and the residents

within it$.$ Touhill notes how the program is especially meaningful given the wealth of Arlington

residents for whom traditional degree programs are an impossible expense. He notes how

an overwhelming majority of applicants came from underserved communities; indeed, much

of the program$$s success surrounds its imperative to help historically marginalized

populations get a running start.

After graduating from the program$$s first cohort, Arlington resident Munira Tabassum became

a Management Intern at the Arlington County Office of the Treasurer. Tabassum calls the

program a $$turning point$$ for her career; having previously struggled to find paid learning

opportunities, Tabassum was thrilled to enter a program that allowed her to level$-$up her

career with key skills in web development and networking while maintaining a steady

income.

$$What was truly ex