Growing Workforce
IT Training Fund
With
the increasing difficulties in finding workers with the right skills, it is important
for information technology firms to develop and broaden the skills of their existing
workers. The IT Training
Program provides up to $25,000 for Iowa companies to upgrade the technical
skills of existing IT employees. Funds require a 2:1 match and can be used
for tuition, contracted training services, travel, and other costs.
During FY ’09, IT training grants assisted 30 companies, training 218 workers
with instruction provided by private training companies, universities and special
vendor training offered inside and outside of Iowa. Below are comments from two
Iowa companies that have utilized the IT Training Program to extend their training
budgets:
"Alliance Technologies is committed to employing the highest skilled technical
employees. Our customers count on Alliance to provide the latest technical
expertise for their businesses. We can only accomplish this high level of
technical expertise through continually providing the best technology training for
our employees. The IT training program offered by IDED has been and will
continue to be an integral part of Alliance Technologies plan for providing
this valuable technical training to our employees."
– Mike Lang, CEO, Alliance Technologies, Inc.
“Vital Support Systems is an engineering and sales company specializing in
the delivery of complex Information Technology solutions. Many of our clients
view technology as a strategic tool that helps open opportunities for business expansion
or provides opportunity to operate more effectively. Many of these companies
find it competitively necessary to continually update their IT technologies.
Our own company then, stays current and develops expertise in certain evolving
technologies that are relevant to the Iowa business community. At Vital, we
are continuously training. The IDED IT Training Program helps Vital with our
training task to develop skills that allow us to bring new and competitive solutions
to the business community in Iowa. Our employees recognize the personal
benefit of training as well, and this has helped us retain a more qualified workforce.
In this sense, it is our experience that this program has helped make Iowa
a stronger business competitor.”
– Jeff Sparling, CEO, Vital Support Systems