Black History Month Spotlight: Evanston Technology Partners

World Business Chicago recognized Evanston Technology Partners (ETP) in its Black History Month spotlight series, highlighting the firm's remarkable achievement of training 160 professionals in Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud Technology.

The initiative, part of ETP's ongoing commitment to building a diverse technology workforce in Chicago, offered participants a pathway to careers with salaries ranging from **$80,000 to $140,000** annually — transformative income levels for many participants from Chicago's South and West Side communities.

**AWS Cloud Training at Scale**

ETP's AWS training program is one of the largest of its kind operated by a minority-owned technology firm in the United States. The curriculum covers cloud architecture, security, DevOps, and data engineering — the core competencies demanded by enterprise employers.

Upon completion, ETP committed to hiring all qualified certified trainees, creating a direct pipeline from training to employment. This model — train, certify, hire — has become a hallmark of ETP's approach to workforce development.

**A Vision for Economic Transformation**

Founder and CEO Emmanuel Jackson sees technology training as the most powerful economic development tool available to underserved communities.

"Cloud computing is the infrastructure of the modern economy," Jackson said. "When we train someone in AWS, we are not just teaching them a skill — we are giving them a key to the digital economy."

ETP's recognition by World Business Chicago reflects the broader impact the firm is having on Chicago's technology ecosystem, demonstrating that minority-owned firms can operate at the highest levels of enterprise technology while advancing economic equity.

*Source: [World Business Chicago, February 2022](https://worldbusinesschicago.com/black-history-month-spotlight-evanston-technology-partners-etp/)*