A five week program to train ten underprivileged young adults to become Certified Computer Techs, and gain sustainable employment.
STAIRWAY TO SUCCESS IN IT: A PATHWAY TO SUSTAINABLE EMPLOYMENT
OVERVIEW
1. Project Background and Description
The Stairway to Success in IT initiative is designed to provide a structured, well-planned, cohesive course of study which will provide underprivileged, disadvantaged young men and women a strong foundation in the Information Technology field. This is the first of four comprehensive stages. Each of the three follow-on certifications will build the candidates skill set and open opportunities for higher paying employment opportunities.
2. Project Scope
The initial, pilot phase of this project would recruit, evaluate and interview eligible young people who have a strong will and desire to succeed in the IT career field. Our goal is to select the ten (10) best candidates and provide them a combination of Professional Development, entry level Computer Technician training and evaluation. This training will be supported by industry sponsored internships and mentoring. Candidates who successfully complete the program will be guaranteed interviews with local companies which have current openings for entry level Computer Technicians.
3. High-Level Requirements
Critical requirements:
• Identify, recruit and interview candidates who possess the need, desire, ability and motivation to successfully complete the program.
• Corporate and Non-Profit agency buy in and support
• Program evaluation and tangible measurement of results.
4. Deliverable
• Professional Development Training (Five Days)
- Goal Setting
- Critical Thinking
- Getting your Job Search Started
- Mastering the Interview
- CompTia A+ Computer Technician Training (Five Days)
- Test Preparation and Practice (Three Days)
- Certification Exams 901/902 (Two Days)
- IT Industry Internships (Five Days-Paid)
• Guaranteed Job Interviews
5. Affected Parties
Parties affected by this initiative include; the individual candidate, local, regional and national nonprofit support agencies and businesses. The project has the potential to provide young people an opportunity which will place them on a path of success and productivity. In addition, businesses in need of qualified, certified entry level personnel will have a pipeline of certified employees.
6. Affected Business Processes or Systems
The program is intentionally designed to allow flexibility and adaptability as it matures. As we evaluate each element of the pilot program and the success of each candidate we can easily make changes and enhancements.
7. Specific Exclusions from Scope
The Initiative, when fully implemented will provide the candidate with four specific professional certifications. Each of the follow-on tracks will be rolled out at a future date.
• Net+ Network Technician
• Server+ Server Configuration, Management and Administration
• Security+ IT Environment Security
8. Implementation Plan
- Organization-Complete
- Program Development-Complete
- Identify Partners/Stakeholders-Complete
- Develop Candidate Selection Process-Complete
- Fundraising-In progress
- Marketing and Promotion-Plan complete, await funding
- Candidate Selection-Process complete
- Launch Pilot Program-Target August 1, 2016
9. High-Level Timeline/Schedule
• Organization-Complete
• Candidate Selection Process-In progress
• Program/ Curriculum Development-Complete
• Identify Partners/Stakeholders- Complete
• Project Launch-Projected August 1, 2016
• Pilot Program Completion (20 day program)-September 2, 2016
• Pilot Program
The Stairway to Success in IT project has the potential to lift young disadvantaged people from no employment, or under employment, to a fully sustainable career which provides a stable income and benefit package, and serves as a “step” toward further training and even better income opportunities.
About Project Creator:
Ron Whitney
Born Feb 11, 1959 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Graduated from Dover High School, Dover, N.J. Enlisted in the US Army, retiring in June 1995. While in the Army served in many duty positions focused on training and training development. To include; Training NCO, Training Officer, Instructor Pilot, and Standardization Pilot. View Full Bio
Link to the Project:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1904444682/stairway-to-success-in-it
