Grant from Future Ready Iowa Employer Innovation Fund fully covers tuition for up to 10 qualifying students to study Help Desk and Network and Systems Administration
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (Oct. 6, 2020) – There is an urgent need to return Iowans to the workforce as quickly as possible in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. With that in mind, DeltaV has launched new curriculum and a program that features fully-paid tuition costs, thanks to a grant from the Future Ready Iowa Employer Innovation Fund.
The new one-week Ops 102 class, Intro to Computer Operations, kicks off in November and is offered fully online. The follow up Ops 201 class, Foundations of Computer Operations, is a four-week course that will prepare students for a career as a User Support/Help Desk Technician. There is funding from Future Ready Iowa for ten students to take the Ops 102 and 201 courses, and additional funding for five of those students to take the additional four-week Ops 301 course covering Network and Systems Administration.
After completion of the initial five-week program, students will be ready to begin a career in IT as a Computer User Support Specialist, an in-demand position at many employers across Iowa. The full nine-week program, meanwhile, will fully prepare students to be Network and Systems Administrators, another high-demand career.
This curriculum teaches students to support technology operations for employers by resolving issues with hardware, software, and virtual or cloud systems. Students will deploy and troubleshoot Windows and Linux operating systems in various virtual and cloud environments.
Key skills such as customer service, knowledge and process documentation, performance monitoring, system process management, issue handling, backup/imaging/recovery tools, and software application installation, maintenance, and removal will be practiced. This course also includes a career coaching curriculum to get students ready for their job search and entails lectures, lab, coworking, and collaborative projects.
In an effort to help people whose careers have been disrupted by the pandemic, Future Ready Iowa’s funding covers 100 percent of tuition (a $5,000-$10,000 value) and provides both a laptop and an “ops kit” (PC, router, and some tools used in these IT careers).
“People who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic are looking for new opportunities, and with the right training, there are high-demand careers currently available to them right here in Iowa,” said Aaron Horn, Chief Operating Officer for NewBoCo, the parent nonprofit of DeltaV. “But if you’re unemployed, you can’t exactly spend the money to get that training. So these awards help to make it possible.”
The tuition awards are available only to people who live in Iowa, though the virtual nature of the classes means that they can be taken from anywhere in the state.
In the tech sector, Iowa is facing a workforce shortage due to the lack of available applicants with the necessary skills. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Iowans are facing furloughed or eliminated job positions and uncertain career futures. Now more than ever, DeltaV is positioned to make a huge impact in our state by continuing its focus on retraining Iowans for careers in software, digital marketing, and now user support and network and systems administration.
For the remainder of 2020, classes will continue to be held virtually. Once permitted, students near Cedar Rapids will have the option to attend in person, but students that wish to finish online will be able to do so. People who are interested can view the upcoming schedule and apply at www.deltav.school.
About DeltaV
DeltaV, Iowa’s premier code, digital marketing, and computer operations school, believes in life improvement through technical education and is addressing the lack of tech talent in Iowa. At DeltaV, adults take classes to become full stack JavaScript developers or digital marketing developers in 20 weeks and Help Desk or Network/System Administrators in 5-9 weeks. Software Developer graduates average a new starting salary of $58,400 after successful completion of the program. DeltaV is powered by NewBoCo and Code Fellows. Diversity tuition awards are made available in part by grants from the Iowa Economic Development Authority, Future Ready Iowa, and generous donations from individuals as well as sponsors such as Transamerica.
About NewBoCo
The New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative, Inc. (NewBoCo) is a 501(c)(3) organization located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. NewBoCo’s programming supports entrepreneurship, innovation, and tech education to help Iowans become more resilient and thrive in a changing economy.
PRESS RELEASE CONTACT: Rob Merritt
Director of Communications, NewBoCo
319-651-8391
rob@newbo.co