IT-Ready Job Program to Open New Office and Classes in Edina

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Creating IT Futures Foundation will open a new office in Edina, Minn., this spring and host three additional IT-Ready classes this year to train and certify information technology (IT) workers, most of whom will sign on with area companies as help desk and technical support staff for their first paid IT role.

The IT-Ready job program is offered free of charge in order to help unemployed and under-employed individuals enter the IT field, which has a shortage of qualified workers. The new IT-Ready office is within the International Dairy Queen Corporation building in Edina. The eight-week classes will start May 4, July 20 and October 19. Applications for the next class are due by April 13. Potential participants can apply at www.ITReady.com.

"IT-Ready is about hard work," said Charles Eaton, CEO of Creating IT Futures. "It's different from most training or non-profit programs in that we help those who are willing to work hard to change their career paths.  Our participants get not only the technical and soft skills training needed in IT, but also the certification and entrance to an apprenticeship for job experience. Then our alumni reap the benefits of continuous mentoring and access to additional certifications so that they can keep learning and move up the career ladder. Plus all of IT-Ready's training is based on current industry needs, so that we match training with employer demands. Our graduates are immediately ready to contribute to an employer on day one."

Since the program was established in Minneapolis / St. Paul in 2012, more than 100 individuals have graduated from IT-Ready, with nearly 95 percent earning their CompTIA A+ certification and 78 percent moving into paid IT roles with area companies after graduation.

Blong Yang graduated from IT-Ready in 2013 with his CompTIA A+ certification and quickly secured a paid apprenticeship that gave him the practical experience and skills needed to move up in the IT industry. Yang now works as an assistant analyst on the tech support team at Securian.

"It is not easy to get into IT, even in entry-level positions," Yang said. "The barrier to entry is that most companies expect you to have technical experience before they'll even consider you for an interview. With IT-Ready, I was able to prove myself in a paid internship with no prior technical experience, aside from what I had learned on my own and through the program. That was really the 'foot-in-the-door' I needed to jumpstart my IT career."

IT-Ready employers commit to considering the resumes of CompTIA A+ certified IT-Ready graduates and interviewing qualified candidates for entry-level IT positions. Twin Cities employers that work with IT-Ready include: Atomic Data, Boonya, City of Minneapolis' Information Technology Department, Computer Revolution, GED Testing Service, HealthPartners, McCormick Computers, Medica, Medtronic, North Country Business Products, Pearson VUE, TEKsystems and Virteva. 

The current IT-Ready class is running in downtown Minneapolis from February 9 - April 3, and the program is accepting mentor applications from IT professionals who are open to meeting with IT-Ready students on a regular basis in person or online to help guide them in their career development. Potential mentors can apply at http://creatingitfutures.org/partners/mentors.

To see what's required of IT-Ready participants and all that they receive, potential employers, mentors, apprentices and community partners can learn more at www.ITReady.com.

About the Creating IT Futures Foundation 
The Creating IT Futures Foundation 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.

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SOURCE Creating IT Futures Foundation

Related Links

http://www.creatingITfutures.org

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