It is often argued that your school days are among the best times of your life. Before you bombard me with experiences to the contrary, featuring memories of demon headmasters or headmistresses, I’m sure you would at least agree that education and learning helps broaden your mind.
During these formative, broadening years, and then later at university, education is key in helping to develop skills essential for the workplace. Granted. However, in today’s economic climate, it’s very tough to enter the IT job market for the first time – or even to return after a career break or unemployment.
But wait, all is not lost, as there is some good news for budding IT jobseekers. Phew. This week, CompTIA has announced that it has introduced free membership for its Authorized Partner Program for Academy Partners.
The Program will help academic institutions, non-profit organisations and government-run re-training agencies access to learning resources for students who want to break into the IT job market.
This is great news and very timely. The profession is demanding a new generation of IT experts across the globe. By eliminating membership fees, CompTIA is helping students to access vital instruction and relevant certifications that employers are crying out for.
Students taking part in this free initiative will gain a real understanding of why it’s so important to think strategically, communicate effectively and, most importantly, meet business goals in the IT world. Sometimes, the need to speak the language of business is lost on our education curriculum planners.
I have spoken out in the past about how education needs to align itself more with business thinking. IT teaching needs to be more inspiring, relevant and engaging. If as a united industry we can support the better teaching of IT to generate more savvy students, we can really start to tackle the worldwide skills gap. What better way to kick start IT job creation through better learning than via the Authorized Partner Program?
If you’re a student trying to get a foothold on the IT career ladder and you’d like to find out more about the Program, it’s advisable to speak with your academic institution.
As a final point, perhaps the demon headmaster or headmistress you feared at school was upset for good reason. Perhaps they didn’t have access to the resources needed to succeed quicker in their careers. The future generation of IT professionals is more blessed it seems!