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Applications Accepted Until April 20

Downers Grove, Ill. — Adults in the Portland, Ore., area can now apply to Creating IT Futures’ free IT-Ready career program. IT-Ready trains, certifies and places unemployed and under-employed adults in their first jobs in the information technology (IT) field, which has a shortage of qualified workers. For the first time, the Portland Urban League and WorkSource Portland Metro will host an eight-week IT-Ready class at CENTRL Office on NW Everett in Portland starting May 1. Applications will be accepted through April 20 at www.ITReady.com.

“Our accelerated program is no cost to eligible adults and earns them a foothold in an upwardly mobile IT career,” said Charles Eaton, CEO, Creating IT Futures. “Since we established IT-Ready in 2012, 85 percent of our students have earned their CompTIA A+ certification and more than 80 percent have landed paid IT jobs.”

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.

“I’ve worked with hundreds of individuals trying to get back on their feet after a long-term job loss. For many of them, the best path into tech is the help desk,” said Wendy Lebow, ReBoot career coach, WorkSource Portland-Metro. “The IT Ready program fills a real gap. It’s exciting because it prepares folks to earn an A+ credential, along with the skills and knowledge to navigate up the career ladder.”

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.

“Accelerated tech training programs like IT Ready support non-traditional candidates entry into the tech industry, which leads to a more diverse candidate pool for employers,” said Andrea Gall, Urban Tech Jobs team leader, Urban League of Portland. “IT Ready will prepare our graduates to start a career in tech and the living-wage jobs that come with it.”

The class in Portland starts May 1 and runs through June 23, 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.

Beyond recruiting for participants for IT-Ready training, Creating IT Futures is looking for Portland businesses to consider the resumes of CompTIA A+ certified IT-Ready graduates and interview qualified candidates for entry-level IT positions. Dozens of participating IT-Ready employers in other cities include such recognized names as HealthPartners, JPMorgan Chase, TEKsystems, Time Warner Cable and US Bank. These companies have received the benefits of skilled workers and simultaneously helped their communities. Interested employers should contact Tom Pinger at tpinger@comptia.org.

The first training cohort of IT Ready in Portland is made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to serve unemployed or underemployed adults. Interested adults should complete the IT Ready application while at the same time going through the screening process for ReBoot NW or Urban Tech Jobs 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. 

Media Contact:

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