HANOVER, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TEKsystems, a leading provider of IT services, today announced the piloting of a new IT career course in Baltimore. Using hands-on instruction, the 15-week Network and Help Desk IT Career Course will teach students to troubleshoot and maintain computers, software, networks and mobile devices. It also provides industry-standard CompTIA’s A+ and NETWORK+ certifications.
“We’re so excited to pursue this opportunity so close to where we ourselves started. Per Scholas and Living Classrooms are the perfect partners for a pilot program like this. We get to offer deserving students a path to a new career in a field that continues to accelerate,” says Faith Johnson, senior vice president of human resources at TEKsystems.
The course will offer training to 20 students, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., starting on July 23, with graduation set for Nov. 2.
"This IT training course will be a wonderful addition to the services offered at our Workforce Development Center at UA House at Fayette," says James Piper Bond, president and CEO of Living Classrooms Foundation. “We are grateful to have partners like TEKsystems and Per Scholas who share in our mission to provide industry-recognized certifications to unemployed and underemployed adults living within our Baltimore Target Investment Zone, and opportunities to obtain family-sustaining jobs that help them reach their potential."
Several local community groups have come together to recruit students and dedicate resources so the course is free to selected candidates. On average, 83 percent of Per Scholas graduates are hired within a year by over 60 companies in the National Capital Region.
“Per Scholas is successful because of the tremendous resources and expertise provided by our employer and community-based partners. TEKsystems and Living Classrooms provide local networks, offer a breadth in services, add industry knowledge that will expand the opportunity for overlooked talent in Baltimore and leverage a proven training model for diverse, entry-level talent,” says Bridgette Gray, executive vice president, Per Scholas.
“Ultimately, this is about empowering individuals in communities that don’t normally see this kind of opportunity to take control of their own careers and dictate the terms of success from a place of equal footing to IT industry peers,” says Franklin Reed, director of inclusion and diversity at TEKsystems. “Our experiences with courses and camps like this have emboldened us to create as much opportunity as possible, to create a diverse population of IT professionals that enrich the career field and enables personal success.”
About TEKsystems®
People are at the heart of every successful business initiative. At TEKsystems, an Allegis Group company, we understand people. Every year we deploy more than 80,000 IT professionals at 6,000 client sites across North America, Europe and Asia. Our deep insights into IT human capital management enable us to help our clients achieve their business goals–while optimizing their IT workforce strategies. We provide IT staffing solutions, IT talent management expertise and IT services to help our clients plan, build and run their critical business initiatives. Through our range of quality-focused delivery models, we meet our clients where they are, and take them where they want to go, the way they want to get there.
About Per Scholas
Per Scholas is a national nonprofit that drives positive and proven social change in communities across the country. Through rigorous and tuition-free technology training and professional development, we prepare motivated and curious adults who are un- or underemployed for successful careers as IT professionals, and we create onramps to businesses in need of their talents. Today we provide our solutions in six cities across the country: Atlanta, Georgia; Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; Dallas, Texas; the National Capital Region; and New York, New York. To date, Per Scholas has trained 7,500 individuals, helping them build lasting, life-changing skills and careers in technology. To learn more visit perscholas.org.
About Living Classrooms
Living Classrooms Foundation is a Baltimore/Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that disrupts the cycle of poverty and makes our community safer, stronger and healthier by meeting individuals where they are and giving them skills for life. We serve 25,000 children, youth and adults annually and inspire them to achieve their potential through hands-on education, workforce development, and health and wellness programming, using urban, natural and maritime resources as "living classrooms." Living Classrooms Foundation has been proudly serving the community since 1985. To learn more visit livingclassrooms.org
