MINNEAPOLIS (Aug. 8, 2018) — The inaugural information technology (I.T.) training program is underway at Summit Academy OIC. The pilot program is the result of a yearlong collaborative process with Summit Academy and Atomic Data.
The goal of the program is to diversify the Twin Cities’ I.T. workforce and help address staffing shortage issues. Twenty-seven students are currently enrolled in the program’s first cohort.
“I am very excited to launch this project with Atomic Data,” said Summit Academy President and CEO Louis King, II. “We are building a pipeline that will strengthen their company while providing incredible career opportunities and diversifying the industry. This initiative moves the needle on addressing racial disparities.”
The new program includes two sequential 20-week training programs to prepare graduates for employment as a service desk technician or a network operations center technician. Approximately 50 students will receive training in the first year. As part of the program, each student enrolled will be offered a paid internship at Atomic Data.
“The students in our first cohort are ambitious, engaged, and ready to learn,” said Mallory Monge, training and development specialist at Atomic Data. “Everyone at Atomic Data is excited to be involved in supporting these students, and are eager to contribute to their long-term success.”
The partnership is supported in part by a Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Board grant of $191,604. The grant is part of a program that brings together business and education in developing cooperative training programs for new or incumbent workers.
Summit Academy is located in north Minneapolis and primarily trains low-income adults from communities of color seeking a path to long-term employment. Summit Academy is a leader in workforce development in the Twin Cities, training over 800 adults each year.
