Black Tech Midwest Launches to Bridge Local Skill Gaps
The new St. Louis nonprofit offers STEM and AI training to help local businesses source diverse technical talent.
Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Remote Work
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Omar Perkins has launched Black Tech Midwest, a new nonprofit focused on expanding STEM and AI skill access for local students in St. Louis. The organization aims to address persistent racial disparities within the broader tech industry workforce.
Why it matters
The formation of this group highlights ongoing efforts to address the disparity between the national workforce population and the tech sector. Operators should note how regional nonprofits are increasingly positioning themselves as pipelines for specialized technical talent.
Black employees account for 7.4% of the high-tech sector workforce compared to nearly 13% of the total US workforce, with only 3% of Fortune 500 tech executive roles held by Black individuals.
The players
Omar Perkins
Founder of the nonprofit organization Black Tech Midwest.
Black Tech Midwest
A nonprofit organization providing STEM and AI skills training for students in the St. Louis region.
The details
Black Tech Midwest operates by connecting local students to educational opportunities and direct training programs. The initiative focuses on building foundational STEM and AI proficiency to better prepare participants for regional tech roles. By bridging the gap between student talent and technical skill requirements, the nonprofit attempts to diversify the local labor pool.
Timeline
October 2026: The UNITE Tech conference takes place in St. Louis.
Market Landscape
This initiative attempts to narrow the demographic gap documented by standard EEO-1 workforce disclosures. It functions as a regional attempt to address the limited representation in leadership and technical roles that federal metrics have tracked for years.
Local hiring managers and tech entrepreneurs should monitor the organization as a potential source for diverse STEM and AI-trained talent. Reviewing how such partnerships can supplement existing internal recruitment strategies may help in addressing current skill shortages.
The takeaway
Black Tech Midwest provides a focused pipeline for AI and STEM talent in St. Louis. Operators should track the skill levels of early program graduates to determine if they meet specific technical requirements for local mid-level roles.
Further reading
For more on building inclusive talent pipelines, see our analysis of Remote Work.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Firstalert4.
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