January 28, 2026

My report, (404) Job Not Found: What Workforce Training Can’t Fix for Black Atlantans in the Age of AI, draws on interviews, field observations, and historical analysis to document the cultures of AI in metro Atlanta, tracing how AI is discussed in academic spaces, promoted by industry, implemented by government, and understood within civil society. What follows is a snapshot from my research, a dispatch from my visit to a cybersecurity training program at Atlanta-based nonprofit City of Refuge run by NPursuit Career Partners. My visit there underscored the importance of developing culturally resonant training as well as the gaps between what training participants need and what training programs offer, which are explored in more depth in the full publication.

It’s a bright June morning when I arrive at City of Refuge, one of Atlanta’s best-known workforce training hubs, tucked in the Westside. The mood in the cybersecurity classroom, operated by training and staffing firm NPursuit Career Partners, is warm and welcoming. JW, the teacher’s assistant, greets me with a wide smile.  I look for a seat in the back so as to not disrupt the class in session.

Once seated, I scan the room and take in the scene. Roughly twenty adult learners sit with laptops open, their fingers poised for the day’s Python lesson on “Understanding Input, Process, and Output.” This is a rare sight in tech spaces: a room where Black students make up the overwhelming majority (17 in total), alongside two Latinx students and one white student; both the instructor and the TA are Black as well. What I see is a learning environment shaped by and for the communities most often excluded from the tech pipeline. 

The instructor, Mr. Jerry, wears a white polo, light-wash jeans, and sneakers. He brings both energy and levity to the material. “What do you know about algebra?” he asks. “X equals Y,” one student calls out. “That’s it,” another says, triggering a round of chuckles. Mr. Jerry uses the moment to break down programming logic, walking the class through how algebraic thinking connects to writing code. 

The class is lively and responsive. “What’s boolean?” Mr. Jerry asks. “True or False!” they exclaim. “Y’all getting too smart,” he says with a grin. Someone from the front jokes, “AI can’t do nothing with us!,” and the room erupts in laughter. 

In the row ahead of me, a woman turns around and greets me with a warm smile and an outstretched hand. “Hey, are you a new student? I’m Karen.” I tell her I’m just observing, and she nods. Later, during a short break, she shares her story. Karen has been in the workforce since 2008 and spent years working for a travel management company. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she pivoted to cybersecurity. A first-generation college student, Karen re-enrolled in school in 2021 and recently finished a two-year cybersecurity program at Atlanta Technical College. She juggled her studies while caregiving for her niece, who had been diagnosed with lymphoma, and tells me she’s grateful for the  empathy and flexibility of her school’s director, who allowed her to do some work remotely to complete the degree. Now she’s here at City of Refuge’s Tech Transformation Academy, training to become a cybersecurity analyst. “I want to be able to assist a company in getting their cybersecurity under control,” she tells me. “The human aspect of cybersecurity is still our biggest vulnerability.” 

When I ask Karen about AI, she lights up. “I love AI! Sometimes there’s something you want to say, but you just need it to be zhuzhed up.” She says she doesn’t fear displacement. “We’ve had more than one speaker say that AI will only replace you if you don’t want to embrace it. No matter how much we train it to be human, it will never be human. Like when you have a family issue and your manager understands what that’s like. It’s not about being lazy or unfocused. It’s just life.” She pauses before adding, “I never want to work at a company that is so work-focused that it doesn’t understand humans.”

NPursuit’s 32-week cybersecurity program at City of Refuge blends technical instruction with hands-on, human-centered support. It starts with professional development, followed by Linux, Network+, and Python courses. Wednesdays bring guest speakers and site visits to companies like Cox and the Federal Reserve. Today is a Tuesday, so the lesson will be followed by lab time, where students tackle case study assignments due later in the week. 

“They just all finished and got certified in Networking Plus, CompTIA Net Plus, which is a very, very, difficult exam to do. And we had a 97 percent certification rate! Probably one of the highest in the Atlanta area, so almost double the national average. I’m just so, so, so, so, so proud of them!” Jahari Soward, managing director and CEO of NPursuit Career Partners, told me when we spoke in her office. What does she think contributed to the cohort’s success? “I think it’s a variety of things. I think the way in which we taught the instruction. Certainly, the wraparound support, the quality of the instruction. We are certified by CompTIA to teach it.” “Is that not typical?” I ask. “A lot of programs out here have it, but that doesn’t mean that they’re certified and authorized to teach it,” Soward explained. 

I ask about students like Karen, who went through a two-year cybersecurity program at Atlanta Technical college, but didn’t graduate with the same certification. Soward explains that unlike the program at NPursuit, most institutions don’t pay for certification exams. “So they can do the training, but then the certification exam is on you,” she said. She goes on to elaborate on the “human centered” wraparound support that distinguishes her program from formal education institutions. “We do the training, we pay for the certification exam, and all of the prep materials to help you get ready for the exam.,” she says. “We try to make sure that we create programs that are comprehensive, inclusive, that we recognize barriers within your home or what’s going on. For some of them, we’ve paid for child care so you can have more time to study. So whatever it takes. What are the barriers that exist that we can support?”

While some of Atlanta’s top employers have reviewed and advised on the curriculum — and have indeed hired program alumni—there are no formal hiring guarantees or job funnels in place for participants at the end of the program. This is standard among the programs I encountered during my study. NPursuit’s cybersecurity program instead emphasizes strong certification outcomes, personalized job search coaching, and confidence-building through exposure to real-world tech environments. Participants work closely with a job specialist and a support services staff member over the eight to nine-month program to address employment barriers and build workforce readiness.

Despite the lack of stipends or wages, the program offers significant in-kind value: it is tuition-free, with an estimated value of $15,000 per participant, and is backed by a partnership with Atlanta Technical College, which grants continuing education education units (CEUs). The program also offers a free summer camp for participants’ children, as well as touchpoints that aim to create meaningful industry connections, sometimes including passes to major tech events like Atlanta Tech Week and AfroTech,as well as membership in the Cloud Security Alliance. 

Later, I stepped into the classroom of a different, shorter-term program where, in addition to general job readiness training, students were introduced to how AI tools might aid them as they pivoted careers. The session I observed was on personal branding, and covered topics such as how to create an online profile, audit your own strengths, and align your goals with your public-facing profile. One student, an aspiring artist and entrepreneur, explained that she’s creating an Instagram profile, website, and business cards to promote her sip-and-paint events. April, the instructor, encourages the student to weave her creativity into her resume and online presence. “I didn’t know you were an artist,” she says. “You didn’t mention that when we worked on your resume.”

This class of 18 is also predominantly Black, with students ranging from their early 20s to their 50s. Today they are preparing their resumes ahead of a session where they’ll use an AI tool to generate professional headshots. Tomorrow, a nonprofit called Inspiredu will visit to teach digital navigation skills. Many of these students are writing new chapters for themselves. “A lot of us are rebuilding from scratch,” said one. Another, a former nurse and hospitality worker, says that she is unsure how to pivot. But, they’re all here, learning how to brand themselves. 

As I head out for the day, I see a rep from Mavis Tires arrive at City of Refuge to promote job opportunities. The jobs this rep is offering aren’t tech jobs, but they’re steady work. And for many, access to steady work, rather than more training, is the real draw.