WSU Tech Launches Upskilling Initiative to Expand Career Pathways in the Tech Industry

Partnership with SkillStorm will provide technology skills training; enable students to earn industry-recognized credentials from leading employers while pursuing their degree

Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech) announced a partnership with the tech talent accelerator SkillStorm that will provide increased access to industry-recognized credentials in high-demand enterprise technologies, including AWS, Salesforce, CompTIA and Pega training. As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting its local community, WSU Tech is launching this initiative to create new pathways into the digital workforce and broaden career opportunities for those living in the rural midwest.

“Our work at WSU Tech is driven by a common goal: creating opportunities for our students, and strengthening the region’s economy by ensuring that employers have access to a workforce with the training and skills to succeed,” said WSU President, Dr. Sheree Utash. “By expanding access to technology certification courses, this partnership is enabling us to offer practical, careeraligned education that will boost economic mobility for WSU Tech students and alumni, while also helping to address local talent needs.”

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Widely recognized in the region for its leadership role in developing the next generation of tech and engineering talent, WSU Tech is part of a coalition that recently received funding from the federal Build Back Better challenge designed to support the region’s aerospace industry. The partnership with SkillStorm, which began this month, has already enrolled 20 full-time students into SkillStorm’s AWS Cloud Computing training program as part of a WSU Tech IT course, ensuring that participants will earn both an industry-recognized credential and credit that counts toward their degree.

“SkillStorm’s platform and expertise is supplementing our existing course programming in ways that will put our learners on a path to a successful career in tech,” said WSU Tech Professor Ashley Likes, the instructor leading the course. “This partnership will help improve access to digital skills for students at a time when the demand for technology talent has never been higher.”

The certification courses consist of two tracks, the Accelerator Program and the Emerging Tech Program. SkillStorm’s Accelerator Program provides online, asynchronous and instructor-led training courses to help students gain certification inAWS, Salesforce, CompTIA and Pega  technologies. The Emerging Tech Program hires, trains, and certifies entry-level tech talent over the course of 10-12 weeks, before deploying them at Fortune 500 companies and federal contractors.

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“Against a backdrop of accelerating digital transformation, universities like WSU Tech have a critical role to play in preparing their students to navigate tomorrow’s world of work,” said Joe Mitchell, COO at SkillStorm. “This initiative is not only broadening access to employment opportunities for learners throughout the state, but also demonstrating the potential of innovative partnerships that can bridge the gap between higher education and the workforce.”

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