NetCom Learning Featured Alongside MIT in Financial Times Feature Story About Unemployment and the Gap in IT Skills Training

NEW YORK, Jan. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite a high unemployment rate, the job vacancy rate continues to rise, indicating that there is a skills gap between employees and the potential jobs they could fill. To learn why this gap exists, Financial Times asked business magnate, author and NetCom Learning CEO, Russell Sarder, to weigh in on the topic. The story, "Private Sector Fills US Skills Training Gap," featuring NetCom Learning and MIT, was recently released on the Financial Times website, NetCom Learning announced.

According to the Financial Times, which reaches more than 3 million people online and with its distributed newspaper, the job vacancy rate has risen by a third in the past two years, yet the unemployment rate has remained steady, leaving the question as to why those vacant positions haven't been filled.

Sarder told the Financial Times that NetCom Learning has seen a huge increase in enrollment in the last three quarters with the last two quarters being the best quarters in NetCom Learning history. Sarder said in the Financial Times story that there are two main reasons for the increase in enrollment. The first is a huge demand for IT training, and the second is that colleges are not offering the right type of training.

"NetCom Learning provides authorized technical and business training from many leading IT vendors, and we're continually monitoring the trends and updating those courses to make sure we are offering the latest courses that students—and employers—are demanding. Traditional universities don't have the resources to constantly update their offerings to stay on the cutting edge," Sarder said.

Skills like programming, security, infrastructure support, networking and knowledge of electronic medical records are in great demand, as are business and project management skills and overall technical proficiency. Now more than ever, companies are requiring their employees to obtain Microsoft certifications, security certifications, PMP certifications, Linux certifications, Cisco certifications and CompTia certifications, training that NetCom Learning offers.

Recognizing this need, one college has recently taken proactive steps to provide the latest in-demand skills. NetCom Learning and Pima Community College have jointly developed a program in which Pima students can earn college credits for certain NetCom Learning courses. These courses meet industry criteria and have been thoroughly reviewed and approved in accordance with PCC's rigorous academic standards.

Since its founding, NetCom Learning has trained more than 65,000 students and 95 percent of the Fortune 500. NetCom Learning also supports students in their pursuit of learning with the $2,500 Sarder Scholarship awarded monthly to an individual wanting to start or advance a career in the IT industry.

To see the Financial Times article featuring NetCom Learning and Russell Sarder, visit http://video.ft.com/v/1330067133001/Private-sector-fills-US-skills-training-gap.

About NetCom Learning

NetCom Learning is a premier provider of IT and business-training solutions to companies, individuals, and government agencies. Since its inception in 1998, NetCom Learning has trained over 95 percent of the Fortune 500, serviced over 23,000 business customers, and advanced the skills of more than 55,000 professionals through hands-on, expert-led training. NetCom Learning was recently recognized by Microsoft Corporation as its Worldwide Training Partner of the Year and named to Inc. Magazine's list of fastest growing private companies in America; NetCom Learning was also named to the 2011 IT Training Companies Watch List by TrainingIndustry.com.

The purpose of NetCom Learning is to promote the values of lifelong learning.

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SOURCE NetCom Learning