CompTIA Newsroom

Applications for Summer Class Due by June 7

Downers Grove, Ill. — In partnership with the City of Aurora, Creating IT Futures is bringing its free IT-Ready career program to Aurora, IL, this summer. IT-Ready trains, certifies and places unemployed and under-employed adults in their first jobs as help desk technicians in the information technology (IT) field.

With a shortage of qualified workers, the IT industry has nearly 30,000 tech jobs open in the greater Chicago area, and in 8 weeks of full-time classroom training, Creating IT Futures can prepare students for many of those jobs. The Aurora class will be held at the Aurora Customer Service Center & Fire House #8, (3770 McCoy Drive, Aurora, IL 60504), from July 8 – August 30. Applications will be accepted through June 7 at www.CreatingITFutures.org/Aurora.

“We are excited that free IT training will be made available to our Aurora citizens,” said Mayor Richard C. Irvin, City of Aurora. “Recognizing the growth trajectory of IT careers, it is imperative that we, as a city, support efforts to increase the pipeline of qualified future employees in the IT industry and beyond.”

Students work toward CompTIA A+ certification in Creating IT Futures’ IT-Ready Technical Support class. With financial support from the City of Aurora, Cognizant U.S. Foundation and CompTIA, as well as partnerships with Wounded Warrior Project, students can attend classes for free. Students must be at least 18 years old and U.S. citizens, have a high school diploma or GED, and commit to 8 weeks of full-time training.

“We wholeheartedly support Creating IT Futures’ mission of increasing the number of underrepresented people in the growing IT field. The IT-Ready program, to be offered to City of Aurora residents, provides technology training and executive skills development that will open up that IT career door,” said Adrienne Holloway, Ph.D., chief innovation officer, City of Aurora. “City of Aurora schools have graduated approximately 3,000 high school students over the last several years where not all went on to attend college. The IT-Ready program provides our graduates with an alternative career option.”

What Do IT-Ready Students Learn?

In the IT-Ready Tech Support class, students learn technical skills such as repairing and maintaining computer equipment, networks and operating systems as well as key business “soft” skills such as professional communication and problem solving. After completing their training, the students sit for the CompTIA A+ certification exam.

“IT-Ready is built along 4 key steps – assessment, training, certification and job placement – in order to get graduates successfully employed in the tech industry,” said Sue Wallace, executive director, national workforce solutions, Creating IT Futures. “First, we do a thorough assessment to make sure students are ready for our class. Then we support students with 8 weeks of classroom-based training, which lead to industry certification with the CompTIA A+ exam. Last, we work with more than a dozen employers in the greater Chicago area, and more than 75 employers nationwide, to place our students in their first tech jobs. On average, 86% of our graduates find full-time employment in the tech industry.” 

Applications are accepted through June 7 at www.CreatingITFutures.org/Aurora. Chicago businesses who would like to interview certified IT-Ready graduates for entry-level IT positions should contact Anderson Lee at alee@comptia.org.

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. 

Media Contact:
Lisa Fasold                                                         
Creating IT Futures                         
630-678-8558                                                    
lfasold@comptia.org