Partnership with SkillStorm will provide technology skills training; enable students to earn industry-recognized credentials from leading employers while pursuing their degree
WICHITA, KS., September 27, 2022 —WSU Tech today 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 Wichita and south-central Kansas.
“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 Tech President, Dr. Sheree Utash. “By expanding access to technology certification courses, this partnership is enabling us to offer practical, career-aligned education that will boost economic mobility for WSU Tech students and alumni, while also helping to address local talent needs.”
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 Ashley Likes, Program Director for digital technologies and software technology at WSU Tech. “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 in AWS, 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.
“Against a backdrop of accelerating digital transformation, colleges 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.”
About SkillStorm
SkillStorm is bringing together Fortune 500 employers, universities, and government agencies to build tomorrow’s highly skilled tech workforce. Through partnerships with platforms like Pega, Salesforce, AWS and ServiceNow, we help working learners and aspiring tech experts build in-demand skills and earn industry-recognized certifications to compete in an increasingly dynamic economy. Our work is rooted in the belief that closing skill gaps and boosting economic mobility are two sides of the same coin, and that new approaches to training can help to both expand the pool of skilled tech talent and create new pathways to opportunity.
About WSU Tech
WSU Tech is the state’s leader in modern technical education offering over 100 degree and certificate options in aviation, health care, manufacturing, design, information technology, police science and business. In 2018, WSU Tech was named the 2nd fastest growing college among two-year colleges by The Chronicle of Higher Education. WSU Tech serves as managing partner of the National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT) in Wichita, KS and is fully accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a Kansas Board of Regents institution. For more information, visit www.WSUTECH.edu.
