Upskill comes together with SkillStorm the project expands access to in-demand industry-recognized credentials; provides free training to individuals from historically underserved communities
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., October 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Today, SkillStorm announced the launch of Upskill Together, an initiative led by a coalition of universities and employers including Salesforce, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Pega, Florida State Universityand the University of Nevada, Las Vegas which aims to expand access to high-demand, industry-recognized technology credentials. Led by tech talent accelerator SkillStorm, Upskill Together includes a unique one-to-one match program that will provide free technology for upskilling programs to students from historically underserved communities for each individual training through the platform.
“For too long, the tech industry has treated widespread talent shortages and persistent equity gaps as separate and unrelated challenges — but in reality, they’re two sides of the same coin,” said Joe Mitchell, COO of SkillStorm. “With the support of our partners across the country, the Upskill Together match scholarship will accelerate economic opportunity for people from all backgrounds, providing pathways to the skills and industry credentials needed by employers to support their digital transformation initiatives now and in the future.”
The launch of Upskill Together comes at a critical turning point for the US workforce: as the pace of technological change continues to accelerate, half of information technology (IT) decision makers report that the number one reason they continue to face skills shortages is the difficulty in recruiting and retaining job candidates with relevant expertise. Upskill Together aims to address this challenge by providing online, instructor-led training for students at participating universities to earn in-demand, industry-recognized credentials in skills such as of cloud computing, CRM, and automation.
For each participant accessing training through one of the initiative’s university or company partners, Upskill Together’s one-to-one match scholarship program will provide the exact same training at no cost to a students with demonstrated financial need, with a focus on supporting women, veterans, and others from underrepresented groups in the technology industry.
“AWS is on a mission to make it easier for all students to access tech skills training, through our commitment to train 29 million people by 2025, our broad portfolio of education programs, and our collaborative efforts across education, government, industry, and impactful initiatives like SkillStorm’s Upskill Together,” said Kim Majerus, Vice President, US Education, State and Local Government at AWS. “The intentional effort through Upskill Together will not only help close the tech skills gap, but also introduce individuals to new career opportunities they may not have considered without this initiative.”
“We are excited to partner with Authorized Training Provider, SkillStorm to expand their workforce development program and unlock new sources of talent by driving Salesforce skills that lead students to career pathways in the Salesforce ecosystem ,” said Amy Regan MorehouseSalesforce Senior Vice President, Global Salesforce Ecosystem Enablement.
“Today’s employers are turning to new forms of training and certification to ensure that job candidates have the skills to succeed in a fast-paced and increasingly digital world of work,” said Mary Tafuri, vice president, global go-to-market enablement & effectiveness, Pega. “By bringing together leading universities with the most in-demand credential providers, Upskill Together addresses critical labor market needs – and creates new mobility pathways in the fastest growing economic sector.”
“In the first seven months of this year, US employers listed approximately 3.1 million job postings for technology jobs — an increase of nearly 50% over the same period in 2021. The The widening gap between employer demand for technology workers and the candidates to fill these roles requires new thinking and innovative approaches to bring more people from more diverse backgrounds and experiences into tech. workforce,” said Graham Hunter, CompTIA’s executive vice president for global sales. “The Upskill Together program led by SkillStorm and its academic and industry partners holds great promise. CompTIA is pleased to be a part of this important initiative.”
Upskill Together and its Founding Partners welcome inquiries from employers or higher education institutions interested in joining the initiative and making a commitment to accelerating economic opportunity. To learn more or apply for a scholarship, visit www.upskilltogether.com.
University Founding Partners of the initiative include:
- Indiana Wesleyan University
- Florida International University
- Florida State University
- University of Jacksonville
- University of Central Florida
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- University of Tampa
“The power of Upskill Together lies in its ability to create stronger connections between higher education and the workforce — while also solving the urgent need to address ongoing issues of equity and inclusion in the tech industry ,” said Jim Clarkprovost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs at Florida State University Panama City. “This is about giving students every opportunity to excel in their careers and earn higher wages to comfortably support their families.”
“As one of the of Florida largest and fastest growing institutions, we have a responsibility to prepare our students to navigate a rapidly evolving and increasingly digital labor market,” said Bridgette CramInterim Vice President, Innovative Education and Student Success at Florida International University. “Initiatives like Upskill Together, which draw on the unique capabilities of both higher ed institutions and leading tech employers, help us accomplish that mission — and fulfill our role as an economic engine. mobility throughout the state.”
“UNLV and its leadership is always looking for new strategies that help bridge the gap between learning and work, especially as we transform to support a growing population of non-traditional learners,” said Joseph M. Mieravice provost for educational outreach at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “Our role at Upskill Together reflects our mission of expanding access to technology certification courses that help our students, alumni, and community members access careers in the fastest growing industry in the region as the demand for diverse technology talent continues to grow.”
“University of Jacksonville is proud to serve as the inaugural partner in Upskill Together. Today’s employers are looking for very specific skill sets. Collaborations between industry and higher education institutions are creating a new ecosystem for learning. The courses are an experiential, project-based learning paradigm that leads to a ready-made pool of talented students for entering the workforce,” said Dr. Christine Sapienza, University of Jacksonville Provost.
“IWU’s leadership and staff remain committed to our long history of serving non-traditional students with programs designed and tailored to help them reach their goals,” said Andy MillerVice President of Innovations and Partnerships at Indiana Wesleyan University. “As the labor market continues to evolve, our partnership with SkillStorm will help us provide students with comprehensive and job-aligned training in the most in-demand skills to prepare them for careers in the open world of work.”
“Unleashing the potential of all students in our community is central to our mission at UCF,” said Thomas B. CavanaghVice Provost for Digital Learning at University of Central Florida. “Upskill Together will help UCF improve our ability to provide training and skills that prepare students to succeed while creating opportunity and upward mobility.”
“Upskill Together enables University of Tampa to enhance the entry of highly talented and diverse alumni into the technology industry, in perfect alignment with our commitments to technology education and to diversity and equity for our students,” said Dr. David SternThe University of Tampa’s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
About SkillStorm
SkillStorm builds the elite tech force for organizations in need of highly skilled, specialized technology talent. By hiring, upskilling, and deploying professionals to work on advanced technologies and platforms such as Pega, Salesforce, and ServiceNow, SkillStorm enables companies with a ready domestic tech workforce. An innovation and opportunity accelerator, SkillStorm provides US businesses and government agencies with fully formed and trained teams with all the necessary experience, skill sets, certifications, and clearances, either directly at its client sites or working from its own delivery centers. Visit www.SkillStorm.com to learn more.
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