A nonprofit center in an underprivileged area in CA has asked me to be to be a an adviser for their new A+ certification program (hopefully launching at the end of the year). The goal is to give people basic skills that will help them get $16-24/hr entry level jobs, and IT skills are looked at as a way to encourage upwards mobility.
Some of the questions that they are asking all the advisers include... (1) What is success in a program like this? (2) What are risks in a program like this? (3) And what are ways to mitigate those risks? Below is an answer I'm drafting, and I'd be curious to know your response. **************************************************************** In short, I see “success” in a program like this as it encourages upward mobility, job creation, and graduates coming up with creative ways to expand the program. What stands in the way of making this an easy task, in my opinion, are some of the following following trends I see in the IT industry: IT as a Cost Center: IT departments are typically cost centers rather than revenue generators, and as such, there are constant moves to reduce costs by consolidating technologies, outsourcing, and replacing people with automated systems. The entry level rate of $16-24/hr that you gave in your paper is, from my experience, much lower, particularly when those out of training centers are quick to start working in order to make at least some money to pay off their enormous debt. Immigrants (with high certs and good education) often work much lower. De-emphasis on Technical Skills: Technical skills (like those taught in an A+ class) tend to be far less valuable than other communication or analytic skills. From my experience, those with the “soft skills” (interpersonal, creative problem solving, etc) always see to trump those who merely focus on the “hard skills” (mechanics of how things work). Age Bias: Youth are perceived as being more nimble and adaptable to new technology and seem to be highly preferred over others, unless the job position is in something like management. Younger people are more likely not to be married, able to work long hours, travel at an employer’s whim, and not have to consult with a spouse before making certain decisions. Certifications: Certifications in the IT industry are generally considered a good supplement, but rarely carry weight by themselves (particularly if the certification has “cheat sheets”, such as CompTIA’s A+). A class like CompTIA’s A+ training is good to the degree that encourages candidates to continue moving forward, but likely accomplishes very little on its own. To mitigate against some of these risks and challenges, I would strongly encourage the following: Class Cohesion: Peers have enormous potential to positively impact each other, as well as the program itself. Tools to help them do this might include: social contracts, creating real and virtual online spaces for peers to collaborate and study together, and aggressively encouraging alumni of the program to contribute back. Learning is a contact sport, and those who actively participate are far more likely to get ahead in a tight job market, particularly one as competitive as California. Strategic Partnerships: One of the best job networks from my experience is technical hobby groups (user groups, hackerspaces, tech conferences, etc). Partnering with various local user groups (open source ones perhaps being the most helpful) could help give those in the class the opportunity to apply new skills. Local “hackerspaces” might offer the graduates the opportunity to learn skills that are very applicable to entry level technician (soldering, electronics, ham radio, etc). Conferences like Barcamp are good ways to interact socially with members in the tech community at large, particularly large employers (Yahoo! and Dreamhost being the bigger sponsors in the Los Angeles area). Projects like CrisisCommons give people the chance to apply their IT and project management skills to real life disaster situations. Real Projects: Real projects that students might participate have the potential to impress results-oriented employers much more than certifications. Real results produce recommendation letters, which is an invaluable important stepping stone for those new to the tech industry. ****************************************************************
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