Prepare to be starstruck, because on April 19th the tech galaxy’s brightest and best will convene in the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall for WTIA’s first annual Galaxy Gala. This will be our largest fundraiser yet, attended by tech industry movers and shakers who want to share their time and wisdom with you. Interested in going wine tasting on Tom Alberg’s yacht, getting career advice over cocktails with Jane Park, or cycling around Mercer Island and grabbing a beer with Gary Rubens? You can bid on all of that and more at the gala.

But our industry isn’t all bright, shiny stars—in fact, there’s room for a lot more constellations in the sky. The tech sector is severely lacking in women, minorities, veterans, and people with non-traditional educations. That’s why the gala will be more than just an opportunity to build quality connections and win one-on-one time with tech celebrities. It will be a chance to raise money for the growing tech talent in our region, specifically through supporting FullConTech and Apprenti. (Click here to read more about how the gala will support FullConTech.)

We created the Apprenti program to address the workforce shortage in the tech industry and identify diverse talent from underrepresented groups. Apprenti acts a pipeline by providing members with training, certification, and job placement. A donation of $15,000 puts one person through the training program, which can change the course of their lives and help bridge the talent gap in order to meet the demands of the growing tech workforce.

Donations also make WTIA events like Training Camp + Draft Day possible. Unlike job fairs, the Draft Day program pre-selects candidates who are nominated by their instructors or supervisors and provides ‘blind’ interviews with recruiters, eliminating bias around their background and educational pedigrees. Our first Draft Day was a success, with the majority of candidates landing job interviews and the others getting red shirts, meaning they would be offered interviews when positions opened up.“I was struggling and now I see how I can fit in,” said Draft Day candidate Rena Cummings.

Do you want to help close the talent gap and have a night of laughter, delicious food, and amusing auctions in the process? Click the button below.