IWU launches tech training initiative
Indiana Wesleyan University is adding to its technical training offerings with a focus on adult learners and military veterans. The university is partnering with Florida-based tech talent accelerator SkillStorm to provide a variety of certification courses in what they call high-demand enterprise areas such as Amazon Web Services, Salesforce and Pega.
“We’re hearing a lot more about needs in the workforce about having these technical skills,” said Kevin Wachtel, executive director of partnership development for IWU. “[SkillStorm] really delivers high-end versions of that, and we saw that there was a really excellent, high-quality addition to our portfolio to offer with them.”
Andy Miller, vice president of innovation and partnerships at IWU, tells Inside INdiana Business the initiative is part of a skills-based approach to serving adult learners.
“Technology is interesting in the fact that you often don’t need a degree to be successful, and that’s why a skills sort of approach really does fit this niche market well,” said Miller. “We feel that filling that need with something like this really does serve our market well and kind of fits the needs of that particular industry that’s needing talent quickly and for those that want to get into it in an affordable way.”
The initiative is part of IWU’s Talent Ladder, an online platform that provides training programs for working professionals and veterans.
There are two tracks to the effort. The first is an Accelerator Program, which involves the online, instructor-led training courses through SkillStorm in which students can gain certification in certain technologies such as Salesforce and Pega.
The second is the Emerging Tech Platform, in which students are hired, trained and certified over a 10-12 week period before being deployed to a Fortune 500 company or federal contractor, according to IWU.
“Against a backdrop of economic uncertainty and ongoing digital transformation in the workplace, adult learners are demanding the skills to advance and keep up with an evolving labor market,” SkillStorm COO Joe Mitchell said in written remarks. “This is about helping more people access the resources that will help them chart new pathways into tech, while at the same time increasing the talent pool for tech employers facing a persistent skill shortage.”
Wachtel adds participation in the initiative could also lead to credit toward an IWU degree.
“If you’ve taken part in an associate’s degree and you need web services to get to that job that you really want, you’ll be able to earn credit at the university, add that to what you’ve already earned someplace else, come and finish your associate’s degree when it’s appropriate, when you’re ready, or stack some of these technology degrees with a business certification,” said Wachtel.
Miller says the ultimate goal is to help individuals reach their destination by combining training with education.