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Ivy Tech Community College offers free IT certificate program for students

Last Updated on April 25, 2017 by cassnetwork

INDIANAPOLIS – Ivy Tech Community College is launching a free Information Technology certificate program for students in Valparaiso, Evansville, Indianapolis and Fort Wayne for the summer of 2017. The CompTIA A+ program will give qualifying students a chance to learn technical skills such as troubleshooting, networking and security across a variety of devices to set the stage for an IT career.

CompTIA A+ is a certification that is trusted by employers in the IT industry and matches professional, technical skills with communication skills. The CompTIA A+ program also provides assistance to students, such as transportation costs and childcare, to ensure students have the ability to attend class and complete the certificate program. Students will have the opportunity to enter the workforce in two semesters – and could enter the field in roles such as Technical Support Specialists, Field Service Technicians, IT Support Technicians or Administrators. To qualify, students must be between the ages of 17-29 and be underemployed, unemployed or disadvantaged. Disadvantaged students would be those who may not have the financial means to attend a higher learning institution. In addition, veterans of any age can qualify.

“The CompTIA A+ is a marketable industry certification, which is held by individuals who are constantly making efforts to advance in the IT industry,” says Matt Etchison, Vice President for Information Technology at Ivy Tech Community College. “We look forward to helping deserving students get the opportunity to get their foot in the door in the IT industry and better their lives.”

Through partnerships with Indiana employers, the CompTIA A+ program gives students the opportunity to begin an eight-week internship halfway through the certificate program, gaining real-world experience as they learn in a classroom. The program also provides students with preparation to take the CompTIA A+ certification and will give the participants training in soft skills.

The CompTIA A+ program is funded by part of the $2.6 million grant awarded to Ivy Tech from the U.S. Department of Labor. The grant is a part of the U.S. Department of Labor’s TechHire Partnerships program – allowing Ivy Tech to offer short-term technical training and job coaching throughout the state of Indiana. The grant will allow Ivy Tech to train 330 students over four years. For the cities in which the program will be hosted in 32,773 IT jobs and 16,393 manufacturing jobs are expected by 2020, paying an average wage of $28.67 per hour.

“The development of a program that allows us to utilize the TechHire grant and serve 330 students is one that we are excited to implement here at Ivy Tech. We are an institution that is on the forefront of the IT industry and are producing graduates that can work at innovative companies. Implementing programs such as this only strengthens our position in the industry,” says Etchison.

Etchison visited a Summit at the White House to celebrate TechHire, a campaign by President Obama to expand local tech sectors by building tech talent pipelines in communities across the country. The event brought together 100 talented technologists, innovators and community leaders to celebrate the success of TechHire to date, share best practices from some of the TechHire cities, and discuss the industry Tech Inclusion Pledge and recently published grid of best practices to achieve results.

For more information regarding the program, visit ivytech.edu/aplus.

SOURCE: News release from Ivy Tech Community College

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