Transition Tech Prepares Soldiers at Fort Bragg for Civilian IT Careers

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., March 21, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- IT Futures Labs, an initiative of the Creating IT Futures Foundation, is partnering with Fayetteville Tech Community College (FTCC) in North Carolina on Transition Tech, a new program to offer fast-track information technology (IT) certification training to soldiers in their last year of military service.

FTCC is located near Fort Bragg, the largest U.S. Army base by population. Every month 700 military soldiers at Fort Bragg transition from active military service to the private sector. Veterans of U.S. military service experience an unemployment rate equal to the rest of the nation. But veterans since 9/11 have an unemployment rate about 50 percent higher than their predecessors, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"We know that many former military struggle to find civilian work commensurate with their experience, so Transition Tech is piloting how those two worlds can be efficiently bridged and help new veterans move into IT careers," said Eric Larson, director of IT Futures Labs. "FTCC is to be commended for being so proactive to help the soldiers of the Fort Bragg community and continually look for ways to meet their needs." 

The program is offered free of charge for a minimum of six weeks, and is taught full-time during the work day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Soldiers scheduled to transition out of the military in the next 12 months can qualify, although they must obtain permission from their commanding officer for leave in order to train, a practice that is typically supported by base commanders for transitioning military.

Although shorter than most courses at the school, Transition Tech is offered as part of the FTCC's academic offerings and students are awarded credit hours toward a degree for each certification attained. FTCC is a member of the CompTIA Authorized Academy Partner Program, which provides access to more than 3,000 schools to CompTIA certification exams and the CertMaster elearning platform. CompTIA provides valuable tools and resources to assist schools in recruiting, training, certifying and upgrading the skills of their IT students.

Originally piloted in summer 2015, the third cohort of the program will start next month and run for seven weeks, concentrating on helping soldiers train for CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Network+ certifications, based on prior student feedback.

IT Futures Labs documented the success of Transition Tech program through a short case study and a video. The white paper and video can be access at http://www.creatingitfutures.org/developing-programs/veterans.   

About the Creating IT Futures Foundation 
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. As part of the Foundation, IT Futures Labs researches, develops, tests and launches innovative non-profit programs tailored for the IT sector that help women, ethnic minorities, and displaced or under-employed individuals. Learn more at www.creatingITfutures.org.

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SOURCE Creating IT Futures Foundation