Creating IT Futures Foundation Pilots PrepareU, a Free Soft-Skills Class for Entry-Level IT Workers

RALEIGH, N.C., April 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Creating IT Futures Foundation, the philanthropic arm of information technology (IT) industry association CompTIA, is piloting a new free training class, PrepareU, to provide career skills for today's tech worker this June in Raleigh, NC. Funded by CompTIA, the world's largest IT association, PrepareU is a two-week, classroom-based course designed for technically skilled IT workers to help them land the IT jobs they desire and give them the tools they need to achieve pay raises and promotions.

Skills covered in the class include:

• Developing your personal brand and 60-second pitch,
• Perfecting your resume and job interviewing skills,
• Developing a team-player attitude,
• Understanding the roles of social styles and Emotional Intelligence (EI), and
• Using active-listening and being persuasive.

To connect the curriculum to true business needs, PrepareU lessons, cases and simulations will be delivered in the context of an IT managed service provider (MSP) company. Students also will be introduced to local employers during the training.

"Employers of IT talent—in all industry verticals—consistently point to a job candidate's professional soft skills as key to hiring and advancing in pay and promotions," said Eric Larson, director of IT Futures Labs within the Creating IT Futures Foundation. "Many IT workers have the required hard technical skills but would welcome more finely honed inter-personal skills to impress an employer in a job interview and help them succeed on the job. With PrepareU, an IT professional can leverage the full value of their CompTIA certifications."

For this pilot, students must:

• Live near the greater Raleigh, NC area
• Be at least 18 years old,
• Be a U.S. citizen or legal immigrant,
• Be a high school graduate or have a GED,
• Have access to a computer with Internet connection, and
• Have already achieved an associate or bachelor's degree in computer science or information technology and/or have earned at least one IT certification (a CompTIA certification is preferred but not required).

Raleigh is the first of several PrepareU pilots that will be deployed around the country in 2016. The Raleigh PrepareU class will begin June 20 and run until July 1. The training runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every weekday. Applications are due by May 31. Those interested may apply at www.PrepareU.net.   

About the Creating IT Futures Foundation 
As the philanthropic arm of CompTIA, the world's largest IT trade association, the Creating IT Futures Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity with the mission of helping populations under-represented in the information technology industry and individuals who are lacking in opportunity to prepare for, secure, and be successful in IT careers. Learn more at CreatingITFutures.org. 

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SOURCE Creating IT Futures Foundation