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Florida International University (FIU) has joined an initiative designed to help students access the skills and credentials necessary to succeed in high-demand technology careers. Through a partnership with the tech talent platform SkillStorm, FIU students can now participate in courses that lead to credentials from the country’s leading tech companies, including AWS, Salesforce, CompTIA and Pega.
“As one of Florida’s largest institutions, we have a responsibility to prepare our students to navigate a rapidly evolving and increasingly digital labor market,” said Bridgette Cram, Interim Vice President, Innovative Education & Student Success at Florida International University. “Partnerships like this one, which will draw on SkillStorm’s unique training model and deep relationships with major tech employers, are helping us realize that mission — and fulfill our role as an engine of economic mobility throughout the state.”
Though Hispanics make up nearly one-fifth of the U.S. workforce, they are just 7 percent of the tech workforce, according to recent research from the Aspen Institute and the Kapor Center. As the country’s largest Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) with more than 32,000 students who identify as Hispanic or Latino, FIU is uniquely positioned to help close this persistent gap by expanding access to the credentials that are most in-demand among technology employers today.
FIU’s partnership with SkillStorm includes the Accelerator Program. SkillStorm’s Accelerator Program provides online, asynchronous and traditional training courses to help students gain certification in AWS, Salesforce, CompTIA and Pega.
“Our work is rooted in the belief that closing skill gaps and creating pathways to economic mobility are, in many ways, two sides of the same coin,” said Joe Mitchell, COO at SkillStorm. “Together with FIU, we’re enabling more students to learn the skills that lead to success in today’s world of work and expanding access to economic opportunity for those who stand to gain the most from the promise of higher education.”
The certifications provided through these partnership tracks are designed for students and professionals at any stage of their educational or career journey. Many of FIU’s certification courses will offer students the flexibility to attend when convenient, while providing access to one-on-one training from industry-certified instructors.
