As demand continues to grow for people qualified to work in high tech occupations, NHTI-Concord’s Community College introduced 10 new information technology (IT) training programs to prepare graduates with the workforce skills they need.
“After listening to our students, graduates, and business leaders, we created new classes that align to additional industry recognized certifications,” says Aaron Conn, head of NHTI’s IT Department. “These certificates provide students with a credential that enables them to get into the job market quickly, well before completing a two or four year degree.”
NHTI’s IT program is among its most popular, bolstered in part by favorable job projections—as high as 30.8 percent growth for some IT fields. Most of the new programs are designed to quickly prepare students for entry to mid-level range jobs in the IT field. Students will also have the opportunity to complete further degrees, including a special bachelor’s degree pathway created with Southern NH University’s (SNHU) College of Online and Continuing Education.
“This agreement with SNHU is a great opportunity for our students, including those who have already graduated from our program and secured a job in the IT field,” says Conn. “They can now take 18 more credits from NHTI at community college tuition rates and then transfer seamlessly into SNHU’s online IT bachelor’s degree program.”
The new certificates are:
- Entry Level Software Development, which prepares students for entry level employment and Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Certifications;
- Advanced Software Development, which prepares students for Microsoft Certified Professional (CP) Certifications, an Associate degree in IT, and Microsoft Specialist C# Certification;
- IT Entry Level Networking, which prepares students for A+ Certification and Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) Certification;
- IT Hardware & Software, which prepares students for A+ Certification;
- IT Microsoft Servers, which prepares students for Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) Certification: Windows Server 2012;
- IT Network Associate, which prepares students for Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT), and Cisco Certified Networking Associate (CCNA) Routing & Switching Certification;
- IT Security, which prepares students for CCNA Security, CompTIA Security+ and Microsoft MSCA Server 2012 certifications; IT Virtualization, which prepares students for Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT), VMWare Certified Professional - Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV) Certification;
- IT Voice Over IP (VoIP), which prepares students for CCNA Routing & Switching, CCNA Security and CCNA Voice certifications;
- Linux Certificate, which prepares students for CompTIA Linux+, LPIC-1 Linux Server Professional and SUSE Certified Linux Administrator.
Classes are available during the day, evening and online. NHTI hired a new full-time faculty member to administer the classes and invested in equipment and software to support coursework and objectives. The initiative is sponsored by a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.