Graduate Profile: Khalid Ibrahim
A 2022 graduate of ActivateWork’s Security Fundamentals course with CompTIA A+ certification, Khalid Ibrahim has successfully launched his career in cybersecurity.
Originally from Eritrea, Khalid has always been passionate about technology, enjoying computers since he was a child. Before attending ActivateWork, he was pursuing an associate degree in cybersecurity from a community college, but he realized IT companies were looking for candidates with hands-on training. Although his college was covering the basics, there was very little hands-on learning to prepare him for a real work environment, and he felt the program was taking too long.
With this in mind, Khalid decided to expedite the process by enrolling in a bootcamp. He attended a career coaching event hosted at his school and was introduced to the cybersecurity courses offered by ActivateWork, powered by Per Scholas. He immediately applied for the Security Fundamentals program. Khalid says, “It was the right moment, everything clicked right away, and now, here I am!”
Khalid appreciates the way he learned new things every day in the ActivateWork program, especially how he could dive deep into specific cybersecurity topics he was interested in. “The instructors were so great and so helpful guiding us,” he said.
“And I had a great team of classmates who shared ideas and projects and helped each other out — it was definitely a team success!”
Khalid was also impressed by how much information was covered during the bootcamp.
“The class was very eye-opening,” he said. “You try everything out. You get to experience and touch a little of everything. And you know how to work hard, so you are ready for a job when you graduate!”
Upon graduation, Khalid interviewed for several positions and within a few weeks, accepted his current role of Systems Technician, earning more than $50,000 annually. He’s not stopping there, though! His goals are to continue taking classes, earn more certifications, and eventually work in a cybersecurity operations center.
“I’m so grateful to be part of this program,” Khalid said. “ActivateWork was a short-cut to my new career – taking a 3-month bootcamp rather than waiting four years to get a degree has changed my life.”
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Can Apprenticeship Meet The Demands Of The Future Of Work?
Alison Griffin of Forbes.com sat down with ActivateWork founder and CEO Helen Young Hayes to paint a picture of today’s apprenticeship landscape. Read or listen to the original article here.
Can Apprenticeship Meet The Demands Of The Future Of Work?
Listen to this article on Forbes.com
November 16, 2022
By Alison Griffin
This week, the nation is celebrating National Apprenticeship Week. However, unlike the fanfare around “Back to School” or “Teacher Appreciation Week,” our local school has been silent in its elevation or celebration of this increasingly popular work-based learning model. Meanwhile, if my teenage boys were in high school in Switzerland, they would have been hearing about apprenticeships for years as a pathway to career opportunity. In the United States, that has not historically been the case, but things may be starting to change.
Colorado is one state where “apprenticeship” is not an unknown term (hence my surprise that I have not heard a peep about it from school). From the early days of General Assembly expanding their unique tech training model to the Denver area. Then we saw the rise of CareerWise Colorado, founded by national apprenticeship champion Noel Ginsburg. Today, an emerging cohort of fast-growing apprenticeship providers like Multiverse are looking to Colorado given the state’s growing need for tech talent. Suffice to say Colorado is no stranger to innovative education and employment options.
But why and how did Colorado become such a hub for this trending future of work option? It’s in part due to political champions for the apprenticeship model, such as now Senator John Hickenlooper, who saw CareerWise Colorado grow in popularity and reach under his term as Colorado’s Governor. Followed now by Governor Jared Polis and countless policymakers at the state and local level who have become champions for apprenticeship as an option for learners beyond high school. Support for apprenticeships is gaining traction at the national level, too, with everything from initiatives by the White House, national partnerships like the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (which includes CareerWise Colorado), the launch of new organizations such as Apprenticeships for America, and more that are all advocating for new policies that will streamline and expand access to earn-and-learn opportunities.
And not a minute too early. The number of youth apprentices starting a program has more than doubled in the last 10 years – jumping by 113 percent between 2010 and 2020. And it’s no surprise, then, that federal funding for Registered Apprenticeships has increased as a result. And though we are seeing this steady growth, there is debate about equity gaps in youth apprenticeship participation, meaning more needs to be done to make this option readily available for American learners. Needless to say, the time is coming for National Apprenticeship Week to be far more noticeable on our radars and in our schools, because when it comes to “the future” of work, this is it.
I wanted to learn more about the current landscape and the future of apprenticeship in Colorado, but also as a critical component to the future of work. I sat down with Helen Young Hayes—founder and CEO of ActivateWork, a nonprofit recruiting, training and coaching firm that connects employers with a diverse pool of talent—to paint a picture of today’s apprenticeship landscape.
Alison Griffin: What inspired your work in the apprenticeship space and where has that inspiration led you today?
Helen Young Hayes: I believe that talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not. In 2016, I started ActivateWork to help Coloradans achieve economic freedom through the dignity of work. We are a bridge. We connect jobseekers with jobs. And we connect people’s inherent potential with their realized success.
Our goal is not merely economic self-sufficiency. We want our clients to achieve economic flourishing. So, we connect employers with workers who possess four key qualities that predict on-the-job success: work ethic, initiative, follow-through and coachability. And we coach each new hire for 12 months to ensure they excel in their new role and achieve their fullest potential.
We began by placing people into careers in healthcare, financial services, and skilled trades. In 2020, we launched our IT training program, adding rigorous technical training and credentialing. Our partner, Per Scholas, has trained and placed over 16,000 IT professionals from communities often underrepresented in technology.
Over the next five years, we will catalyze over 1000 people into lucrative IT careers. The U.S. technology industry is overdue for innovation. There is a growing 1.2-million-person IT talent shortage, and higher ed is simply not producing enough computer science graduates. Since forty percent of tech jobs do not require a college degree, employers should be increasingly more open to alternative credentials. Many of our IT employer partners report they value industry certifications and hands-on experience more than a computer science degree.
Apprenticeships help employers develop the exact skills and talent they need for the present and the future, important for hard-to-fill roles. Other benefits include government training subsidies and employee retention rates of over 90% for completed apprentices. Importantly, through apprenticeship, companies are adding to (not competing for) existing talent.
With a severe talent gap, IT is an industry ripe for apprenticeship. Colorado ranks 4th in the nation for tech employment, with 120,000 tech workers earning an average of $104,000. There are currently 30,000 IT job openings and one job opening for every existing IT worker. If filled, those open jobs would add $2 billion to the GDP of our state.
By equipping people with in-demand skills and industry certifications for high-paying roles— debt-free and on-the-job—apprenticeship builds the skilled and diverse workforce we need for today and the future.
Alison: In the state of Colorado, there have been many efforts to integrate apprenticeships into the common vernacular whether through policy, practice or program. What exists today and where are there still gaps in this growing space?
Helen: Apprenticeships are common in the construction trades, but vastly underutilized in the U.S., which has a labor force of 160 million. In 2020, there were 636,000 U.S. apprentices and 82,000 completers nationwide. In Colorado, there are only 6,100 individuals enrolled in apprenticeship, which is less than two-tenths of one percent of our labor pool!
Increasingly, high-skill occupations in IT, aerospace, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing do not require a college degree but require technical or industry certifications or apprenticeships. Leading employers such as Microsoft, Google, Accenture, and IBM have reduced 4-year college degree requirements and use apprenticeships to develop talent for in-demand jobs.
There are many reasons why apprenticeship is underutilized. First, apprenticeships are not prevalent in the U.S. and represent less than half of one percent of our total U.S. workforce. Compare this with Switzerland, where two-thirds of high school graduates choose apprenticeship over college.
Second is the widely held belief that college is the only pathway to economic and professional success. That’s simply not true. The average starting salary for a 4-year college graduate is $55,000, compared to $72,000 a year for an individual who has completed a registered apprenticeship. We must expand the definition of education to include alternative learning pathways and to combat the unspoken stigma associated with vocational and professional credentials.
Additionally, most employers (outside of construction) are unaware of registered apprenticeship as a talent development strategy. Most business leaders confuse apprenticeship with internship and rely on traditional and ineffective talent strategies to fill their vacancies (like poaching talent from competition). Apprenticeships are mushrooming in a variety of industries, including finance, healthcare and IT. In fact, IT/cybersecurity is the fastest growing category of apprenticeship in Colorado and represents 30% of new registered apprenticeships.
Alison: What is the difference between a youth apprenticeship and what it offers a student and an apprenticeship for those beyond the grade school age? Why is it important to differentiate these pathways?
Helen: Youth apprenticeship and adult apprenticeship reach two different populations, under-18 and over-18 years of age. They should be developed side-by-side. Youth apprenticeship provides high schoolers with work-based learning and earning opportunities, equipping them with in-demand skills. Youth are the workforce of our future, and we should position them for success in a rapidly evolving economy.
But youth (16-24) represent only 12% of our workforce. Given trends in automation, AI, and remote work, some 17 million Americans will need to transition to higher-skill occupations by 2030. The adult population—the bulk of our workforce—will also need to upskill rapidly, and apprenticeship enables Americans to learn these skills debt-free and on-the-job while linking them to an employer who invests in them.
I should note that registered apprenticeships are formal workplace-based training programs. Participants receive industry-specified technical instruction and wages from employers. Upon completion, participants receive a nationally recognized certification administered by the Office of Apprenticeship at the U.S. Department of Labor.
Alison: It sounds like learners of many – really any – ages can participate in apprenticeship programs. How do we de-stigmatize these pathways for all learners? How can schools, communities and employers be involved in making apprenticeship the ‘norm’ for learners?
Helen: You’re right—any age can participate in apprenticeship. Our IT learners have ranged in age from 18-71. The first thing employers should do is start developing apprenticeship as a talent development strategy and then broadcast their success.
I sit on Colorado Governor Polis’ Business Experiential Learning Commission. Our mission is to promote employer adoption of apprenticeship and to recommend policy solutions to scale experiential learning. Given the nation’s urgent need to transition workers for the future economy, we need a broad and sustained public relations campaign to reach the adult working population. We must also communicate the benefits of apprenticeship to high school students, counselors, and educators and businesses and industry associations through targeted outreach, such as President Biden’s Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Sprint.
We also need more collaboration between Departments of Labor and Departments of Education to work together to blend and braid credentialing and industry training into higher ed. Workforce centers should channel individuals seeking employment into apprenticeship. And employers experiencing downsizing should encourage displaced employees to seek apprenticeships, especially in adjacent skill sets.
Alison: What does it cost an employer to institute an apprenticeship program? What about the state? What about the education provider? And, finally, is there a cost to the learner? How can those costs be covered?
Helen: That depends on the industry and the length of the apprenticeship. First, there is no cost to the learner.
Employers have three costs: start-up costs, the cost of the apprentice’s training, and wages paid to the employee. If an employer is developing their own registered apprenticeship, there are start-up costs to identify the desired skills and training, design the apprenticeship, and register the apprenticeship with the Department of Labor.
If an employer is working with an intermediary like ActivateWork, there are fewer upfront costs. For example, ActivateWork developed a cyber security apprenticeship with the input of two employers. For additional employers, the learning and training platform has been built and only minor adjustments are required to build a customized cyber apprenticeship.
The average IT apprenticeship is 12 months’ long. The annual cost of the apprenticeship, which covers the education and training provider, is between $10,000 and $17,000 per apprentice. Additional training time by the supervisor and the monitor the results should be added in. The wages of an apprentice range from $18-28/hour, depending on the job. Government incentives of $3,000-5,000 per apprentice reduce the cost of the apprenticeship.
The ROI on apprenticeship is compelling. Think of it as stocking your own pond. Employers hire entry-level talent at a lower price point and build an intentional learning and work plan to build the skills they need for the positions they can’t fill. Using cyber security as a case study, rather than competing for a limited pool of talent at an average salary of $100,000, employers pay between $58,000-80,000 in starting salary for an individual who has completed their 12-month apprenticeship. And they’re building an evergreen talent pool for tomorrow.
Alison: What is your hope for the future for apprenticeships – and apprenticeships in Colorado? What advice do you have for colleagues who want to support this growing model of education and work-based learning?
Helen: My hope is that apprenticeship soon becomes a significant form of learning and training in Colorado, equipping people for family-sustaining careers in the knowledge economy. Through apprenticeship, we can build a diverse and agile workforce for the present and the future.
My advice for colleagues is to learn more about apprenticeship and career-connected education. Spread the word. And my advice for business leaders is to explore the myriad options for every industry to develop their long-term strategic workforce through apprenticeship.
Colorado & Company Interview with Helen Young Hayes
Colorado & Company is a sales-friendly television show on KUSA-TV, 9News (NBC) in Denver, Colorado that has been on the air since 2004. Colorado & Company features paid content, community segments, non-profit organizations, celebrities, DIY experts, local and national authors, restaurants and many other diverse guests.
In this episode from November 30, 2022, Dani Sturges interviews ActivateWork founder and CEO Helen Young Hayes, along with Dr. Jandel Allen Davis, President and CEO of Craig Hospital. Watch the video on YouTube here.
Watch the Interview
Interview Transcript
DSS: Well, there’s an ongoing mission right now to make Colorado the most inclusive economy in the nation. It seems like that’s the theme of our show today, which is so wonderful. Helen Young Hayes, the founder and board chair of Colorado inclusive economy, along with Doctor Jandel Allen Davis, the President and CEO of Craig Hospital. They’re both here today to talk about this. Welcome, ladies. Thank you so much for being here.
HYH/JAD: Thanks for having us, of course, not a problem at all.
DSS: OK. So like I said, our show has been very much about inclusivity today, which is so wonderful to chat more with you. This is about I wanna go ahead and start with you, Helen. Tell us a little bit more about Colorado inclusive economy.
HYH: Well, in March of 2020, the COVID lockdown had just started. My company, ActivateWork, helps train people from underrepresented communities with IT training and I wanted to see how the pandemic was going to impact the communities that we serve. So I decided to do a little research. I discovered that during times of economic shock, vulnerable communities, especially people of color get hit first. They get hit hardest and they recover slowest, if ever. So inequity widens during recession. And I’ve just wanted to see a different kind of outcome this time. So I decided to call Colorado CEO’s to rebuild this time with racial equity, inclusion and diversity as a goal and not as an afterthought. So the Colorado Inclusive Economy movement was born, and now we’re 130 plus CEO’s. And leaders who have committed to building multicultural workforces from the top down and bottom up.
DSS: Wow, congratulations.
HYH: Thank you. Together, we’re going to co-create a Colorado that works for everyone.
DSS: Absolutely. And that is really the goal. That’s so fantastic to hear. I really love that you guys did this and all born from something that we really went through as a community together. Now Doctor Allen Davis, what has it been like for you to be a part of the Colorado inclusive economy?
JAD: You know, there’s a number of ways in which it’s just been terrific and wonderful. First of all, the mission and the vision of this notion of inclusiveness which is in my mind as an employer, but also obviously as a woman of color, is win, win, win, communities win, employers win and the individuals win. If we can begin to really focus on our most disadvantaged populations having opportunities for access to great paying jobs. And so being part of the movement, and I was there right from the beginning with Helen, who’s a force of nature by the way. Being part of the movement has created the opportunity for like minded CEOs and maybe even some who are trying to check it out and figure it out to come together as peers and really talk about the challenges, the struggles, the opportunities and the victories that come from this kind of work.
DSS: So wonderful and you’re a force of nature by the way too. The two of you together it seems like we rule the world. I love this so much. It’s so wonderful. Helen, I want to come back to you. What have you found happens when companies incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion strategies into their their own strategies as a as a company, as a whole? Helen, I want to come back to you.
HYH: Well, there’s so many positives and benefits, that I’ll just pick a few to mention.
DSS: Please.
HYH: When companies begin and start executing authentic and successful DI programs. First of all, it really helps their financial performance.
DSS: Ohh wow.
HYH: So it’s been shown statistically that companies that have authentic and inclusive and diverse organizations develop more innovative thoughts and diversity of thought leads to higher revenues and higher profitability. So that’s one benefit. Additionally, when you have a diverse team, you’re really able to understand diverse communities to serve them better with your products. And so most companies that have real diverse teams are able to expand their revenues and expand their customer base by understanding the needs of more people.
DSS: Wow, yes.
HYH: Additionally, I would say though that perhaps the most important really are the people and the culture benefits. Employers are able now to attract better talent because people want to work for diverse and inclusive employers and that becomes one of the their priorities in selecting whom to work for.
DSS: Sure.Yeah.
HYH: And finally on one of the other benefits is that companies are able to retain that top talent by having inclusive cultures that really welcome diversity of thought and experience.
DSS: So many incredible benefits. That is so wonderful. Well Doctor, I want to ask you what differences have you seen after being a part of Colorado inclusive economy? Have you seen things blossom flourish from this you know I think.
JAD: That Helen’s mention of March of 2020 isn’t an accident. I mean, you may remember at that time, not only were we working through this pandemic and the early parts of it and trying to figure all that out, but then shortly thereafter, Mr. George Floyd was killed.
DSS: Yes.
JAD: And there was an opening of eyes in a very different sort of way and actually in multiple ways. And so interestingly, even at our hospital at Craig Hospital over these last couple of years, I’ve seen in our new employee orientations, for example, far more people of color than certainly was there when I started four years ago. I think we’re seeing this across the state and certainly in this Front Range where we’re starting this work. You know the other thing that I say that I’ve seen is this notion that we have been wasting talent in this state and frankly in this country. But in terms of where our work is focused and I think about the fact that Colorado is the 12th most post prosperous state economically in the nation and yet people of color in terms of the opportunities that are a bit we’re sitting at 37th. So there are people who are left out of this, which doesn’t help communities, certainly doesn’t help individuals. And if there is a group of stakeholders who can help solve this problem, it is employers. So what I’ve seen is this sort of willingness and eagerness from the 130 and growing number of employers who are saying, let’s figure this out, we’re wasting talent and we need to be a better reflection of those we serve.
DSS: Well, ladies, the work that you both are doing is so incredible. I want to give people information in case they want to reach out and. And be a part of what you guys are doing here so you can actually join the CEO led movement to help promote more diversity, equity inclusion guys. You can become a member or make a donation today. What an incredible way to give back and to make sure that there is more inclusion in our community. For more information you can head to inclusiveeconomy.US.
ActivateWork Awarded Colorado’s Leading Apprenticeship Program [Press Release]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tassi Keith, Keeton PR, tassi@KeetonPR.com, 308-539-1883
DENVER, COLO. — Weds., Nov. 18, 2022 —
ActivateWork, a nonprofit leader in connecting employers to a diverse pool of exceptional talent, was recognized by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment and the Office of the Future of Work (CDLE) as one of three statewide Apprenticeship Program Winners yesterday at the 2022 Colorado Apprenticeship Awards.
“ActivateWork is honored to be recognized by CDLE and the Office of Future of Work, whose efforts are helping to create a thriving employment environment with opportunity for every Coloradan to prosper,” said Helen Young Hayes, Founder and CEO of ActivateWork. “While talent is evenly distributed, opportunity is not—and there is a glaring need for equity and inclusion.
“ActivateWork helps shape the future of Colorado workers by developing a talent pipeline of skilled professionals from overlooked communities, as well as catalyzing businesses to reach their highest purpose of helping people achieve economic freedom with a good job.”
Recipients of the 2022 Colorado Apprenticeship Awards include apprentices, mentors, programs, employers, and partnerships that have demonstrated a remarkable commitment to increasing apprenticeships and expanding access to apprenticeship programs. The month of November is Colorado Apprenticeship Month, which raises awareness of the benefits of apprenticeship programs to both employers and workers, and celebrates apprenticeship ambassadors across the state.
ActivateWork launched their first apprenticeship program in April 2022 for Cybersecurity Support Technicians and DevOps Site Reliability Engineers. Since then, eight apprentices have been placed into industry apprenticeships throughout the Denver metro area.
“Our apprentices are learning more than we could have hoped for through their on-the-job training with our incredible employer partners. Not only do our apprentices have their employer mentors and supervisors, but ActivateWork is also providing them with a career coach and an apprenticeship coordinator to create comprehensive wrap-around support,” said Hayes.
“By catalyzing IT careers with earn-while-you-learn opportunities like this, we’re creating economic mobility for our apprentices and decreasing Colorado’s IT talent gap.”
ActivateWork will launch a tuition-free software development apprenticeship in February of 2023. To register and to find more information, visit www.activatework.org.
About ActivateWork
ActivateWork is a talent solutions organization that transforms high-potential individuals into highly skilled, valuable team members. Our rigorous recruiting, industry-driven training, curated matches, and professional skills coaching prepare new employees to thrive in their careers. For more information, visit www.activatework.org.
[Contact information and boilerplate updated August 11, 2025]
ActivateWork Receives $1.1M Federal Grant to Support Colorado’s Cybersecurity Workforce Development
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Weds., Nov. 2, 2022
Contact: Holly Shrewsbury
pr@activatework.org
720.320.0097
ActivateWork Receives $1.1M Federal Grant to Support Colorado’s Cybersecurity Workforce Development
DENVER, COLO. — Weds., Nov. 2, 2022 — ActivateWork, a nonprofit leader in connecting employers to a diverse pool of exceptional talent, today announced that they were awarded a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to launch a tuition-free 15-week cybersecurity training program that will serve a diverse group of learners in the Denver metro area. The program is expected to reach more than 150 people and fill at least 100 tech jobs.
“We know that the Denver metro area has a significant talent gap in cybersecurity, and this funding will help ActivateWork fill employers’ staffing needs and create opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds who are underrepresented in the current workforce,” said Helen Young Hayes, founder and CEO of ActivateWork. “Our cybersecurity bootcamp will help participants gain essential skills for professional careers and economic mobility. At the same time, it will strengthen Colorado’s labor market by creating a well-trained talent pipeline.”
ActivateWork will recruit, screen, train and match participants into cybersecurity employment, and provide 12 months of advancement coaching. The grant exemplifies ActivateWork’s commitment to connecting companies to their community’s diverse workforce, as well as connecting people to life-changing careers.
“President Biden is committed to supporting communities as they seek to create new opportunities to spur business growth and create jobs,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “These EDA investments will provide the resources Coloradans need to spur growth in the critical high-technology and cybersecurity sectors.”
The grant is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration’s commitment to investing $3.1 million in Colorado to support the growth of high-tech business and cybersecurity workforce development. The EDA grant will be matched with $279,254 in local funds.
“This new investment will help save people money and get Coloradans into good paying jobs. Colorado’s thriving Latino community is a key to our economic success and a driving force behind our state’s strong workforce and critical industries. We thank the Biden administration and Secretary Raimondo for these important grant funds that will help make our professional services workforce even stronger,” said Governor Jared Polis.
About ActivateWork
ActivateWork is a nonprofit recruiting, training and coaching firm that connects employers to a diverse pool of exceptional talent. Traditional hiring processes leave valuable talent out. They help employers solve talent gaps by finding promising candidates in underrepresented communities and preparing them to excel in new careers. For more information, visit www.activatework.org.
ActivateWork.org | Email: info@ActivateWork.org | July 2022
IN THIS ISSUE: About Us | Demographic of our Learners | Workforce Matters | Graduate Profile | Current Training Tracks | Our Services | Senator Bennet Visits ActivateWork | Reimagining Workforce Devlopment | 6 Graduates Began Apprenticeships With Leading Employers | Recent Grant Awards | Per Scholas | Our Employer Partners
About Us
Economic Freedom through the Dignity of Work
ActivateWork is a nonprofit recruiting, training, and coaching firm that connects employers to a diverse pool of exceptional talent. Traditional hiring leaves valuable talent out. We help employers solve talent gaps with qualified candidates from underrepresented communities. Our model is one of few proven to launch people to lasting economic freedom. Our proprietary behavioral screening process, rigorous skills training, and 12 months of on-the-job coaching prepare our learners to be valuable new hires. ActivateWork hires have a 12-month retention rate 36% higher than the industry average.
Demographics of our Learners
Workforce Matters
Workforce MattersLast week, I saw Top Gun:Maverick in a state-of-the-art theater in New York City. A giant robotic vacuum cleaner was silently buffing the lobby floor. Another economic sector (with 1.5 million custodians) is being impacted by technology.
COVID-19 accelerated the uptake in automation, artificial intelligence, and remote work, fast-tracking the US to a knowledge-based economy. The demand for skilled jobs has increased, while demand for lower-skill jobs has and will continue to drop—with troubling implications for income and employment inequity.
It’s estimated that three-quarters of Colorado jobs require education beyond high school, but only half of adult Coloradans have the necessary education and training for these jobs. Apprenticeship is a compelling solution to fill the gap.
Apprenticeships are common in the construction trades, but vastly underutilized in the US overall. In Colorado, there are 6,100 individuals enrolled in apprenticeships. With 3.2 million workers in Colorado, apprenticeship is less than two-tenths of one percent of our labor pool.
Unlike internships, registered apprenticeships are formal programs where companies can train and develop their future workforce and individuals can gain valuable skills and industry credentials, on-the-job and debt-free.
IT is an industry ripe for apprenticeships. The US has a growing, 1.2-million-person IT talent shortage, but only 90,000 computer science college graduates per year. And since 40 percent of top-paying jobs in Colorado do not require a college degree, companies are increasingly open to alternative credentials. Many of our IT employer partners report they value industry certifications and hands-on experience more than a comp sci degree. Through apprenticeship, they’re adding to (not competing for) existing IT talent.
— Helen Young Hayes
This year, ActivateWork began offering IT apprenticeships. Since January, we’ve launched IT apprenticeships in Cyber Security and DevOps. Our employer partners, including Bank of America, Ping Identity, Fortify IT Services, and Leprino Foods, are developing a strategic, customized IT workforce for hard-to-fill roles.
ActivateWork apprenticeships help Coloradans from all backgrounds transition to the knowledge-based economy. Most come from sectors like retail, hospitality, and warehousing—those hit hardest by COVID and automation. 30% women, 65% people of color, and 22% immigrants, they add much-needed diversity to the IT industry. Given average IT apprentices earn over $50,000 a year, our graduates are able to achieve economic mobility.
By bridging the gap between what is and what could be, ActivateWork is building a skilled and diverse workforce of the future. If you’re interested in learning more, email info@ActivateWork.org.
Graduate Profile
Quasey Vinson, a graduate of ActivateWork, credits his good fortune to the IT training and job placement program of ActivateWork. In 2020, the Army Corps of Engineers veteran struggled to make ends meet even though he was working two jobs. He discovered ActivateWork through a recruitment flyer. He completed the IT course and graduated in November 2020. Today he is employed full-time as a Customer Service IT Engineer. His story is featured in The Denver Gazette.
Current Training Tracks
Desktop Support
This course offers the opportunity to earn the CompTIA A+ certification, equipping learners with the knowledge to apply for jobs such as Infrastructure Management, Desktop Support, and Driver Technician.
Security Fundamentals
Through hands-on training, this course teaches the CompTIA A+ certification with knowledge of networking. Technology jobs include Security Analyst, Infrastructure Management, and Driver Technicians. In addition, there is an opportunity to engage in live cybersecurity tactical exercises at Metropolitan State University’s award-winning Cyber Range facility.
Software Engineering
This course prepares learners in computer science theory and advanced software engineering skills with jobs as Junior Web Developer, Web Designer, and App Developer.
QA Engineer Test Automation
Learners understand the fundamentals of software programming and testing skills using Java and Java-based frameworks for jobs as a Quality Assurance Analyst, Quality Assurance Engineer, Software Quality Assurance Engineer and Software Quality Engineer.
AWS re/Start
With a focus on IT Fundamentals and AWS Cloud, this course prepares learners for positions such as Cloud Architect, Cloud Developer, Cloud Systems Administrator, Cloud DevOps Engineer, Cloud Security Engineer and Cloud Network Specialist.
Our Services
Employers work with us in two ways to source and develop talent. They hire graduates directly from our bootcamps and/or they partner with us to sponsor and administer apprenticeships.
DIRECT HIRES
ActivateWork is the solution for businesses that need skilled talent for IT roles, to diversify their talent pipeline, or to increase retention in early career professionals. ActivateWork provides 12 months of professional and
life skills coaching to each new employee to ensure
that they make a successful transition into their new
professional career.
Turnkey Apprenticeship services
ActivateWork has registered IT apprenticeships in Cybersecurity and in DevOps and is in the process of registering a Software Engineering apprenticeship. Department of Labor registered apprenticeships meet national standards for quality and rigor and provide career opportunities for Coloradans that lead to family sustaining wages. In today’s tight tech labor market, companies are increasingly exploring apprenticeship as a strategy to future proof their workforce pipelines.
Senator Bennet Visits ActivateWork
Employers work with us in two ways to source and develop talent. They hire graduates directly from our bootcamps and/or they partner with us to sponsor and administer apprenticeships.
DIRECT HIRES
In May, ActivateWork and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) hosted a roundtable of graduates from ActivateWork, CrossPurpose and Climb Hire. Graduates shared stories about their struggles accessing education and workforce opportunities and in achieving economic stability. The event highlighted the proposed Higher Education Innovation Act, introduced by Senator Bennet and Senator Marco Rubio that would enable programs like ActivateWork to receive federal funding to provide our evidence-based training program to more Coloradans.
Two weeks later on the Senate floor, Senator Bennet shared the stories from ActivateWork’s Learner Roundtable.
Of the learners who participated, he stated, “Now, because they’ve gotten a little bit of credentialing over three or four months of training … they can see a future beyond just paying yesterday’s bills. The bigger question that should animate us on the floor isn’t how much student debt to cancel but how to create a pathway to economic security for every American who graduates from high school, including those who don’t go get a four-year degree.”
We could not agree more and we thank Senator Bennet for his leadership on this issue.
Reimagining Workforce Development
In April, 60 industry and government leaders came together to learn more about ActivateWorks’ comprehensive training model, hear from our graduates and learn from employers about their experiences hiring with ActivateWork. Governor Jared Polis delivered the keynote address. The highlight of the event was when the graduate panel shared their advice to employers. To summarize, these new IT professionals asked employers to stop requiring 2 – 3 years of experience and a BA to access their jobs. They suggested employers hire for potential by testing out their skills, and seeing that they are well prepared to excel and ready to work hard.
Left to Right: David Eddy, Boeing, Colorado Site Director, Naina Dhareshwar, Acting Chief Technology Officer of Boing Global Services, Digital Solutions & Analytics, Helen Young Hayes, Founder and CEO of ActivateWork, Governor Jared Polis, Jennifer E. Arzberger, Ph.D., Champion of Learning for Ping Identity, Rajev Sivarasa, Director of Clarity, Inc., Melissa Uribes, SPHR, Vice President, Talent, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Trimble, Inc., Ryan Buerger, Senior Director of Technology, First Bank, Demesha McKinney Hill, Head of Diversity and Community Relations, Janus Henderson Investors Managing, Director of Janus Henderson Foundation
— Governor Jared Polis
Governor Jared Polis applauded the work of ActivateWork in building and creating an ecosystem of talented workers. As a champion of workforce development, he discussed the State’s immediate needs for prepared talent. “Colorado is facing challenges in hiring,” Polis said. “We need the right applicants with the right skills, for the right jobs.” ActivateWork is poised to meet this challenge. Joe Barela, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment discussed how our work aligns with many of the priorities of his department to reskill and upskill Colorado’s workforce. He highlighted the Office of the Future of Work and the emphasis on scaling IT apprenticeships in Colorado.
Programs like ActivateWork are the future of work, preparing Coloradans with stackable credentials and wrap around supports to access good jobs in well-paying IT careers. Together, Leveraging the power of business, government and the public sector, we can build a Colorado that works for all.
Six ActivateWork Graduates Began Apprenticeships
with Leading Colorado Employers
— Jennifer Arzberger, Ph.D. and
Ping Identity Champion of Learning
Recent Grant Awards
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment is
distributing $25 million in grants authorized by House Bill 1264 in 2021. Funding comes through the American Rescue Plan Act. Recently, ActivateWork won three competitive grants for the purpose of responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency and the negative economic impacts of the pandemic. The stimulus investments provide reskilling, upskilling, and next-skilling training opportunities for Coloradans during times of substantial unemployment.
- Awarded $369,000 to provide IT skills bootcamp training for 300 learners. Learners are recruited into a 15-18 week bootcamp training. Four days a week are hard skills training to earn industry recognized credentials, the fifth day of each week is focused on professional and life skills coaching.
- Awarded $198,375 to administer career coaching and work alongside workforce centers and other community-based organizations to improve awareness of career coaching resources throughout the state. This program will involve human-centered design and address target populations, such as new Americans, individuals with some college and no degrees (comebackers), the formerly incarcerated, those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and particularly older individuals looking for career guidance.
- Awarded $50,000 by the Office of the Future of Work to launch and scale registered apprenticeship programs in Colorado. In 2022, ActivateWork registered two occupations for apprenticeship with the Department of Labor, Cyber Support Technician and DevOps Analyst. We are in the process of registering a Software Development Engineer. ActivateWork serves as an intermediary, helping employers to build a talent pipeline for their in-demand roles through apprenticeship.
For the third year in a row, ActivateWork has been designated as a Third Party Partner for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through the Colorado Department of Human Services. ActivateWork is an approved training and education partner providing SNAP participants with opportunities to gain skills, training or experience that will improve the participants’ employment prospects and reduce their reliance on SNAP benefits.
The PwC Charitable Foundation awarded ActivateWork $25,000 to support our comprehensive IT skills training model. The program enables low-income individuals to succeed in high-quality IT careers.
The Mayer-Phillips Foundation awarded ActivateWork a two-year $100,000 grant to support the continued expansion of our training model in the Metro Denver area. Funds support direct program costs for enrolling and supporting learners, including training, employment placements, wraparound supports, and coaching.
ActivateWork is the only franchise site of the national nonprofit, Per Scholas. Over the last 26 years, Per Scholas has trained over 18,000 IT professionals, matching them into careers with 650+ employers in 20 cities. Per Scholas IT training curriculum and instructors lead our bootcamp trainings. The curriculum has been rigorously evaluated and is recognized as a gold standard in workforce development. Curriculum is informed by employers to ensure the skills developed are needed in the industry. Our model is agile and able to respond quickly to changing industry demands.
“The process is painless as ActivateWork does all of the hardest work for you. The graduates come in with a good foundation of technical and professional skills. They will need continued support, but they are ready to learn and you have a partner at ActivateWork you can work with to further their development. Overall it’s been a great experience.”
—Ryan Buerger,
Senior Director of Technology,
First Bank
Equity+Tech Symposium. Help us finalize our 2023 course offering and participate in thought provoking conversations with employers, innovators, and educators.
Discuss:
Challenges & obstacles
Strategic curriculum
solutions
Trends, forecasts, planning
Thurs. Sept. 29, 2022, 9 a.m.
For more information contact Ace VanWanseele at ace@activatework.com
or call 720-272-7647.
Hire Our Graduates
ActivateWork graduates are motivated, trained, and ready to work. To learn more, contact Ace VanWanseele at ace@activatework.org or call him
at 720-272-7647.
Invest In Our Work
Your donation will give a motivated learner the chance to realize their innate potential and secure a quality job andcareer pathway in technology. Visit our website at https://www.activatework.org/give
Certificates and apprenticeships are increasingly a pathway to well-paying technology jobs in Colorado
Certificates and apprenticeships are increasingly a pathway to well-paying technology jobs in Colorado
As seen on https://www.cpr.org/news/
October 4, 2022
By Jenny Brundin
Isaac Horton is in high demand.
He’s just 21 years old, but even at 19, he was already burned out at retail jobs like Target and Amazon. Horton is smart and ambitious — and realistic about the cost of a college degree.
“I was unwilling to kind of burden myself with six-digit student debt plus interest for decades versus just being presented an opportunity to actually get the skills I need outright, no tuition costs, nothing, just my time and effort in a couple months,” he said.
He saw an ad for ActivateWork. It offers tuition-free IT training, typically a 15-week boot camp, 12 months of career advising and connections to industry jobs. Courses include desktop support, security fundamentals and software engineering. Companies pay a fee for the service.
Colorado has one of the biggest tech gaps in the nation. There are nearly 25,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs alone. The jobs make on average six-figure salaries. But there aren't enough people to fill them. Half the jobs don’t require a four-year degree. And banking on the current post-secondary system to produce graduates isn’t enough.
Take Colorado’s high school graduating class of 2015. Six years later, just 28 percent have completed a certificate, associate’s or bachelor’s degree.
Increasingly, companies are looking to organizations like ActivateWork that offer free short-term credentials to learners ages 18 to 55 eager to start careers.
“The demand for talent is off the chart, yet the supply is constricting as higher education gets more expensive,” said ActivateWork’s chief operating officer Kathryn Harris. She sees a huge untapped pool of workers, especially folks in their late 20s, 30s and 40s stuck in jobs that don’t have career paths.
“They've always had an aptitude or an interest or passion in technology, but they haven't had the resources or the time to skill themselves up,” she said.
They’re also more diverse — a plus in a tech world that’s currently very white and very male. ActivateWork screens candidates for work ethic, initiative, follow through, coachability and technical aptitude.
Horton enrolled in the introductory Comp TIA A+ certification course. He’s been a technical support specialist at First Bank for two years making about $45,000 a year.
“That certification alone will open up almost all of Denver in the surrounding cities for a variety of well-playing opportunities,” he said.
Horton has learned, however, for middle-level jobs, like technical support engineers, many companies still require four-year degrees or equivalent experience.
“It’s very picky and the competition cranks up to 11 at that point. Moving up from there, until you can get in, it’s like climbing up a vertical wall.”
ActivateWork sees this huge demand for middle-skill tech jobs like software engineers and network security experts. It’s launched a program that helps companies set up apprenticeship programs based on the precise skills a company needs. Harris recalls an employer who started a cybersecurity apprenticeship and took on several hires, including three ActivateWork graduates.
“They are exceeding the other hires in terms of the number of tickets that they can move through in a given week. And so, all of a sudden, you're starting to say, ‘Huh, I always thought I needed to have a candidate with a four-year degree. I always thought they needed to have these types of experiences.’ ”
As public dollars for higher education have dwindled (Colorado ranks 47th in public investment for higher education) forcing tuition costs up, many argue that earn-while-you-learn model of apprenticeships are a low-cost, quicker pathway to high-skilled, well-paying jobs. Even a final legislative task force report said Colorado isn’t focused enough on post-secondary programs that get learners into well-paying jobs.
Workforce experts and groups like Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative are advocating for more government support and incentives for organizations like ActivateWork, Climb Hire, and CrossPurpose that provide learners with effective training tuition-free and have a track record of helping them land and keep good-paying jobs in high-growth, high-wage sectors. ActivateWork’s Harris hopes for more incentives for employers — there aren’t enough participating — to test out the apprenticeship strategy.
So far, Colorado has dedicated $200 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to workforce development and education.
Seventy percent of Colorado high school graduates don’t get a certificate, associate’s or bachelor’s degree within six years.
That means there’s no effective plan for the vast majority of Colorado students to get into good-paying jobs. So many workers in their 20s, 30s and 40s have spent years feeling trapped in lower-paying jobs, or jobs they weren’t interested in.
When Felicia Butler, 27, was in high school in Henderson, the focus was all about getting a good score on the ACT and getting into college.
“Other than that, like, welcome to the working class,” she recalls.
She was accepted into college after high school but suddenly became homeless.
“I had no skills or knowledge on how to advocate for myself, how to ask for help, how to problem solve,” she said.
She spent the next nine years doing everything — construction, retail, food and beverage. During the pandemic, Butler was working multiple jobs including overnight shifts at an Amazon warehouse.
“And just being worked, being worked ... I'm working two jobs and it feels like I'm just running in a circle, I was just getting burnt out.”
She saw an ad for Climb Hire. It provides tuition-free training for a number of career tracks: customer experience, salesforce administrator, financial services or Google project management. The mission statement on the website caught her eye.
“To help talent build economic mobility.”
Butler went through the Salesforce training program, which gives people the technical skills to help businesses using the Salesforce platform. She now works as an operations administrator and event planner.
“2021 was the first time I was able to provide myself with stable housing. And that is really where my life changed.”
For many learners, the challenges of completing even a short-term credential program while trying to pay rent and buy food can be overwhelming.
Emeline Peralta was the first in her family to attend college.
“Keyword ‘attend,’” she told a group at a spring roundtable on short-term credential programs attended by Sen. Michael Bennet.
Like so many, she never finished. Peralta did seasonal work in the resort communities for several years. Eventually, she couldn’t afford rent. Peralta discovered Climb Hire. But working in the day and trying to keep on top of her studies and homework even for a short-term credential, with an unstable living situation, she almost quit that.
“I get really emotional thinking about that really dark time where I almost quit. I almost quit because I couldn't afford to do better.”
She was able to move in with her boyfriend and finished the program. She now works as a program operations coordinator at Climb Hire. Peralta has doubled her wage compared to when she worked three jobs.
“The quality of life has improved significantly. It's a weird thing to go from survival mode your entire life. And now I have the privilege to dream bigger ... I’m incredibly happy and proud and confident. I have found a professional identity that I can build on.”
Graduates of short-term credential programs say access to federal aid to help pay expenses would have helped. Currently, students that don’t attend an accredited higher education institution can’t get federal student aid like Pell grants. Sen. Bennet is co-sponsoring a bill that would let learners who attend high-quality trade schools, community colleges, and short-term credential programs with proven outcomes get access to aid.
He’d been taking classes for a computer information systems degree at Metro State University, and near the end of the degree, began going full-time. But that left him with no income. He panicked and started applying for IT jobs but was told he didn’t have the experience. Cordova saw an ad for ActivateWork, took the course and some alumni computer classes. In an entry-level IT position, he was making the same as a construction worker with tenure and now also has better benefits. He now makes $55,000 at Centura Health as a client desktop engineer.
“Now I feel like I’m doing what I was meant to do,” he said.
Cordova did finally get that bachelor’s degree. (Workers with bachelor’s degrees earn 67 percent more than those with just a high school diploma.) It will help with his goal of becoming a network engineer. Once he posted his bachelor’s degree on Linked In, it brought another wave of recruiters desperate for IT talent. But Cordova said he never would have got his foot through the IT door had it not been for the short-term credential program.
“Certifications and experience almost trump education. I look at people in the field — a lot of people don’t have degrees — they have certifications, and they have experience,” he said.
Another new state law aims to speed up a student’s ability to earn stackable credentials, where credits accumulate as students try to pursue a degree.
Randy Cordova is a perfect example of how the education system loses so many talented people who aren’t able to go directly into a degree program.
“Four-year college ... it didn't even seem like reality to me. It was either you went to college or people dropped out and worked,” said Cordova, 49.
As a boy growing up in Aurora, he remembers being fascinated with early home computers like the Commodore 64. But he said he didn’t do well in school and wasn’t encouraged by counselors.
“I think from the sixth grade on, I got all F’s and D’s. I didn't even pass. I don't even remember much of it. I remember a counselor telling me at one time that I should be a construction worker and construction is an honorable profession, but I think they were kindly telling me that I wasn't smart enough to do anything else.”
For the next few decades, Cordova did a lot of different things — construction, plumbing (he even worked on the plumbing in the downtown ActivateWork offices). But one day he just quit.
“I was unhappy. I always wanted to work with computers and I was just unhappy.”
He’d been taking classes for a computer information systems degree at Metro State University, and near the end of the degree, began going full-time. But that left him with no income. He panicked and started applying for IT jobs but was told he didn’t have the experience. Cordova saw an ad for ActivateWork, took the course and some alumni computer classes. In an entry-level IT position, he was making the same as a construction worker with tenure and now also has better benefits. He now makes $55,000 at Centura Health as a client desktop engineer.
“Now I feel like I’m doing what I was meant to do,” he said.
Cordova did finally get that bachelor’s degree. (Workers with bachelor’s degrees earn 67 percent more than those with just a high school diploma.) It will help with his goal of becoming a network engineer. Once he posted his bachelor’s degree on Linked In, it brought another wave of recruiters desperate for IT talent. But Cordova said he never would have got his foot through the IT door had it not been for the short-term credential program.
“Certifications and experience almost trump education. I look at people in the field — a lot of people don’t have degrees — they have certifications, and they have experience,” he said.
Graduate Profile: Anacani Briseno
Anacani Briseno is a graduate of the ActivateWork Summer 2021 cohort. Anacani first developed an interest in computer systems as a child through her brothers, who often shared their computer games with her. Since then, she has been experimenting with computers in her own time as a hobby.
Anacani was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She graduated from George Washington High School where she had taken college-level courses with the intent of going to college. She graduated in 2012 and went on to Metropolitan State University of Denver where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in management.
Anacani had hoped to continue to graduate school, but her financial situation held her back. Freshly graduated but unsure what she wanted to do next, Anacani joined the Transportation Security Administration at Denver International Airport.
For three years, she worked as an agent and slowly leveled up the ranks to an officer position. But she found herself taking on roles that she didn’t feel comfortable in. Then the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down. With the airports running on survival mode, Anacani watched as many of her coworkers lost their jobs or quit. She remembers, “it was a very stressful work environment for everyone there.” She realized that a career in IT could put her where she wanted to be mentally and financially.
In the beginning of the shutdown, she had been going to work at the airport while many of her coworkers worked remotely from home. There were days where she spent a lot of her time on the phone in the airport with an IT support person working from their home. After a while, Anacani would ask the IT support members about their industry. With her background knowledge and understanding of computers systems, Anacani channeled her frustrations with her workplace into a search for better opportunities. She says, “I went down rabbit holes of information looking for the answers I needed.” And from those rabbit holes, Anacani turned it into a curious exploration of jobs in the industry.
She discovered ActivateWork's tuition-free IT training through an Indeed job posting. “I thought it was too good to be true,” she said. She was intrigued and felt that she should scope out the program before she wrote it off. She applied and found out that it was an educational course designed to help people like her level up in the workforce. Anacani felt that her participation in the program would give her a leg up in the job search process. She felt confident despite the rigorous 15-week commitment that she could find great success with the support of the community ActivateWork could provide.
“It was a lot. I was up from 4 AM and often didn’t get down time until 12 AM. I was trying to balance work and going to school, but joining ActivateWork was a 180 degree change for me.”
After graduating with her IT support certification, Anacani started her job at Ardent Mills as an IT support analyst.
“I feel like I’ve finally found a company that will put their employees first,” she said. “They’re very supportive of their people and are open to helping them through more workforce development. I’m a lot happier here."
Anacani feels that she has a great team at Ardent Mills—she appreciates the encouragement and support of her team to help her continue in an upward trajectory. She plans to continue to upskill and expand her skill set into cloud computing and engineering.
Learn More About Hiring Our Graduates
Learn More About the No-Cost IT Training
Graduate Profile: Isaac Horton
When Isaac Horton was laid off from his job due to the COVID19 pandemic, he seized an opportunity to pursue his dream career in IT.
“Even before I graduated high school, I knew I wanted to work in the IT field,” says Horton. But, without a clear entry point, he accepted a job at a Subaru dealership in the finance department after graduation. While it was a good job, it wasn’t something he was passionate about, and there were no opportunities for future growth. So, he began searching for entry-level careers in IT on Indeed, where he came upon a posting for IT Support training with ActivateWork powered by Per Scholas.
When Isaac read of the opportunity to earn industry recognized certifications along with hands-on learning, career development, and job placement opportunities at no cost he thought it was too good to be true. But he soon learned that it was not only real, but it was an opportunity to launch him into a new career.
While enrolled in the program, Isaac worked evenings and weekends as an Amazon delivery driver. This proved to be challenging during the full-time program, but with the support of his instructors and coaches, he was able to balance his time effectively and complete the course. He attributes much of his success to that community, saying, “They were super passionate and helped me stay caught up.”
Upon graduating from the Network Support course, Isaac has not only been prepared to pass key certification exams, but he has also been equipped for his new career in IT with career development and coaching from the ActivateWork team.
“The career development in this program is irreplaceable,” he says, “to be able to learn to sell yourself and get a great job in and of itself is a huge benefit.”
After completing the course, ActivateWork was able to place him with employer partner, FirstBank, where Isaac has now started as a tech support representative. He is thrilled to be able to start his career with such a reputable company where he sees a path for continued growth and upward mobility. His goal is to continue to add additional certifications each year with the tuition assistance program that FirstBank offers and hopes to advance into a software engineering role in the future.
Since starting his new career, Isaac has been matched with his ActivateWork post-placement coach who provides ongoing support and assistance as he navigates this new role. He has already seen tremendous value in this resource and sees his coach as a professional mentor. This coaching will continue for a minimum of 6 months as he launches in the field, helping him acclimate to the role.
Isaac is now further ahead in his career journey and earning more income than he was before being laid off. He is poised for an even better future and he couldn’t be happier to have his foot in the door into an IT career. For his investment of 3 months of time and hard work, he says,
“It was absolutely worth it. I would recommend ActivateWork to anyone ready to get started in the IT field. No scholarship can even compare."
Learn More About Hiring Our Graduates
Learn More About the No-Cost IT Training
Graduate Profile: Bolanle Oladimeji
“If I start a plan, I need to finish it,” explained Bolanle, who goes by Bola. “I would talk to myself in the mirror and tell myself not to quit.”
Turns out there were a lot of people counting on Bola – friends who thought the program sounded too good to be true or too difficult to conquer. They wanted Bola to test the waters. If she could succeed, then they maybe they could gain the confidence to apply.
So Bola persevered. She drew support from her fellow learners. She asked instructors for help and dedicated countless hours to tackling the coursework. She now has CompTIA, A+, and Google IT certifications and is interviewing for network administrator positions.
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Bola has wanted to work in technology since earning an associate's degree in mass communication in her native Nigeria. She spent the first several years of her career as a graphic designer, but after moving to the United States two years ago, she switched gears and became a caregiver to both adults battling dementia and children with developmental disabilities.
The idea of working in IT, particularly cybersecurity, however, still called to her.
Last year, she began searching for information on career training online and stumbled upon CrossPurpose, a nonprofit ActivateWork partner. After taking one of the organization’s assessments, she was referred to ActivateWork powered by Per Scholas, and the rest is history.
Bola says the program, which includes 100 hours in professional development, career, and life skills coaching, not only equipped her with in-demand IT skills, but also helped her come out of her shell and gain more confidence.
Bola is now focused on gaining real-world networking support experience and hopes to eventually return to ActivateIT for cybersecurity training.
“I have succeeded beyond my expectations,” she said.
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