Creating IT Futures & TEKsystems Partner to Bring Free IT Training & Career Program for Adults to Charlotte, NC

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., May 23, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- To grow the information technology (IT) workforce and the diversity within tech in North Carolina, Creating IT Futures and TEKsystems are partnering to bring the IT-Ready career program to adults in Charlotte. For the first time in the state, an eight-week IT-Ready class, hosted at the Goodwill Opportunity Campus and supported by Charlotte Works, will start August 14. Applications will be accepted through July 23 at www.ITReady.com. An information session about the class also will be hosted at Goodwill at 5:00 p.m. on June 13.

At no cost to students, IT-Ready assesses, trains, certifies and places unemployed and under-employed adults in their first jobs in the IT field, which has a shortage of qualified workers. More than 37,600 open IT jobs were posted in the greater Charlotte area in 2016, and already more than 8,400 IT jobs were posted in the first quarter of 2017. Over the next ten years, CompTIA expects the number of IT jobs in Charlotte to grow by 24 percent. With more than 49,000 tech workers, Charlotte is the largest tech employer in North Carolina. Plus, the average salary of an IT job in North Carolina is 99 percent higher than the average state wage, according to CompTIA's Cyberstates market research.

"It's an honor to partner with Creating IT Futures toward the common goal of growing and enriching the IT workforce by enabling under-represented populations to play a vital role in today's market," said Rick Madan, vice president, TEKsystems Network Infrastructure Services.  "Fostering career opportunities through diversity and inclusion has long been a priority of TEKsystems, and through this partnership we hope to give those who seek it a path to a successful career in IT."

Since Creating IT Futures established IT-Ready in 2012, 85 percent of its students have earned their CompTIA A+ certification and 87 percent have landed paid IT jobs. With a commitment to building a diverse tech workforce, IT-Ready classes have been almost 60 percent people of color and 30 percent female.

"IT-Ready is a proven model for helping adults launch a mobile and family-sustaining career in tech," said Charles Eaton, CEO, Creating IT Futures. "Beyond our main location in the Minneapolis/St. Paul and through our partner network, we've held IT-Ready classes in 10 other cities – all with remarkable success for both our graduates and their employers. We're excited to bring the program to Charlotte and diversify and enlarge the city's IT workforce."

What Do IT-Ready Students Learn?

In the IT-Ready program, students get hands-on labs taking apart and building desktop computers and other hardware; learn about motherboards, printers, peripheral devices, memory and physical storage, connections and mobile devices; set up computer networks and troubleshoot networks, displays, printers, and operating systems; configure operating systems and hardware; and secure networks, systems and data.

IT-Ready students also receive targeted professional development in key business "soft" skills such as professional communication and presentation, teamwork and collaboration, and critical thinking and problem solving. IT-Ready graduates are grounded in these key skills and prepared to apply them on day one of their new jobs. After completing their training, the students sit for the CompTIA A+ certification exam which covers desktop and help-desk technical support duties and skills.

Located at the Goodwill Opportunity Campus, 5301 Wilkinson Boulevard, Charlotte, NC, the IT-Ready class starts August 14 and runs through October 6, and is held from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every weekday.

IT-Ready students receive free tuition, books and learning materials, more than 240 hours of classroom and hands-on tech and soft skills training, and certification vouchers toward the CompTIA A+ exam.  To demonstrate their commitment to the training and pursuing an IT career, IT-Ready students are allowed only one absence and two late days during the program.

Potential employers, mentors, students and community partners can learn more at www.ITReady.com.

About Creating IT Futures
Founded in 1998 by CompTIA, Creating IT Futures is a 501(c)(3) charity with the mission of helping populations under-represented in the information technology industry and individuals who are lacking in opportunity to prepare for, secure, and be successful in IT careers. Learn more at www.creatingITfutures.org. 

About TEKsystems
TEKsystems is a subsidiary of Allegis Group, the largest private talent management firm in the world. Our longstanding history and industry-leading position speak to our success in providing the IT staffing solutions, IT services and talent management insight required for you to actualize ROI and sustain a truly competitive advantage in a fast-changing market. Learn more at www.TEKsystems.com.

Media Contacts:
Lisa Fasold
Creating IT Futures                                                         
630-678-8558                                                                   
[email protected] 

Nathan Bowen   
TEKsystems                              
410-540-3090
[email protected]

SOURCE Creating IT Futures Foundation

Related Links

http://www.creatingITfutures.org