The speaker discussed a program called Kernel Development Learning Pipeline (KDLP) that they started at Red Hat. The program aims to address the lack of younger people entering the Linux kernel and low-level engineering by providing a comprehensive learning pipeline. The program includes a course taught at UMass Lowell and the Linux Foundation's platform, recruitment of interns from the course, serving as teaching assistants, and ultimately hiring them as full-time engineers. The course covers various kernel features, device driver development, advanced usage of Git and email patches, BPF Trace and other tracing tools, and working on large code bases. The program has seen growth and partnerships with Red Hat Academy, running workshops, connecting with educational programs in different countries, and partnering with the Linux Foundation's mentorship platform. The speaker highlighted the need for more talent in the kernel and open source communities and the value the program brings to both companies and the community. The program is open to students and non-students worldwide, and resources, including the course materials, are available on their website. They have seen success in hiring interns as full-time engineers and fostering diversity in gender and location among participants. The program is a side project for the speaker and their team, but they are continuously improving and expanding it. They encourage individuals to join their mailing list, attend office hour sessions, and contribute to their crowdfunding efforts. In the Q&A session, questions were raised about the demand and job opportunities in kernel development compared to other software development areas, the target audience of the program, including both students and existing software developers, the time commitment required for the program, the feasibility of building the entire kernel using a Raspberry Pi, discussion on back-porting and forward-porting, and the potential interest in Rust as a programming language for kernel development.