Since its inception in 2011, Tech Impact’s ITWorks program has accelerated the careers of young, underemployed adults without college degrees in Wilmington, Philadelphia and Las Vegas.
The no-cost 16-week IT course has plenty of success stories, but no official alumni representatives to spread the word. That’s now changing, with the launch of a pilot Alumni Ambassador Program.
For the pilot program, officially announced at ITWorks’ Delaware Impact Hour on Jan. 25 at DCAD’s Tatiana Copeland Center, eight alumni of ITWorks from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds will serve as representatives, recruiters, liaisons and spokespeople for the programs. There will also be two ambassadors representing the Vegas-based CXWorks, a Tech Impact customer service workforce development program.
James Collins, CIO for the State of Delaware and ITWorks mentor, spoke about the pride he felt for his former mentee and the folks who help make the program happen, many on a volunteer basis.
“I want to give a huge shout-out to all the sponsors and volunteers that are part of the ITWorks program,” Collins said. “It is a critical piece of the success of the students. You’re giving them real-world opportunities with internships. You’re coming in and sharing your wisdom on how you got to where you are. And I think it’s just encouraging to see someone on the other side of where you’re trying to get to so big thanks to all of you.”
Collins also praised the cutting-edge nature of the program. “I really think what you guys are doing is futuristic,” he said. “I was talking to some folks who are in higher education and I was telling them that if they don’t pay attention to the trends that are happening, they are going to get Uber’ed. And I think they are going to get Uber’ed by programs like ITWorks. This program is on the cutting-edge of what education is going to look like in the future.”
ITWorks is currently selecting students for the spring 2018 session; applications for fall 2018 open in June, with classes starting in August.
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