Diversity & Inclusion

‘Creating a pipeline to cybersecurity and education’: Lance Lucas [VIDEO]

Can computer certification training be an effective way to train Baltimore city residents for future IT jobs? Lance Lucas would have you believe it. As he explained during his TED talk at TEDxBaltimore in January

Can computer certification training be an effective way to train Baltimore city residents for future IT jobs?
Lance Lucas would have you believe it. As he explained during his TED talk at TEDxBaltimore in January, the certification training he does through his nonprofit Digit All Systems is creating a workforce development “pipeline to cybersecurity” jobs and further education.
Watch Lance Lucas speak at TEDxBaltimore:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iII3si2qKQ4]
Technically Baltimore profiled Lance Lucas last November, from his upbringing in Northwest Baltimore (and time as a counterfeiter in high school) to his founding Digit All Systems, the nonprofit he has run since 1998 that provides A+ and Microsoft certification training courses, in addition to other courses in programming and robotics.
The question of whether it’s more appropriate to train students to be hardware or software specialists is at the center of Lucas’ efforts. With the rapid pace of technological innovation, it seems fair to wonder if certification training is merely equipping people with a set of outdated skills.
But Lucas would argue that A+ must be the foundation, especially for residents of neglected Baltimore neighborhoods who might lack basic computer skills.

Companies: TED / Digit All Systems

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

The person charged in the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting had a ton of tech connections

From rejection to innovation: How I built a tool to beat AI hiring algorithms at their own game

Where are the country’s most vibrant tech and startup communities?

Where small business supports shine — and fail — in Baltimore 

Technically Media