Ticket into Tech, created by SLO Partners in 2017 (a SLO County Office of Education initiative) was created with the mission to create 1,000 new head-of-household technology careers in the San Luis Obispo region before Diablo Canyon closes, with the belief that in order to develop innovative solutions to tomorrow’s problems, a labor force that is as diverse and innovative as the challenges it faces is needed.

Ticket into Tech offers scholarships that will give recent high school graduates the chance to jumpstart their careers by receiving a fast-track education and on-the-job training for a head-of-household career in the technology field. Employment of software developers is projected to grow 24 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations. There is a particular need for engineers in San Luis Obispo County where tech jobs have increased 20 percent in the last five years according to California Center for Jobs and the Economy, due in large part to the bustling startup scene and larger tech firms moving into the area like Amazon.