Federal grant offers free IT training to area unemployed

Unemployed workers in the Tampa Bay area who are interested in a career in information technology can receive free IT certification training at St. Petersburg College or Hillsborough Community College. To be eligible, individuals must be 18 or older, a resident of Pinellas or Hillsborough counties, have a high school diploma or GED and be unemployed.

The Tampa Bay Hi-Tech Training (HITT) is being funded by a $3.8 million grant awarded to the Tampa Bay WorkForce Alliance and WorkNet Pinellas by the U.S. Department of Labor. The grant covers tuition, books and fees for certification training at SPC and HCC for individuals who meet the qualifications.

Certification programs at SPC include:

Credit

CISCO Certified Network Associate (CCNA)

• Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Server Administrator
• Java

Certification programs at HCC include:

Non-credit

• Microsoft Technology Associate Certification: Networking Fundamentals
• CompTIA A+ Certification Training
• CompTIA Security+ Certification Training
• CISCO Certified Network Associate (CCNA)

Credit

• Information Technology Support Specialist
• CISCO Certified Network Associate (CCNA)

“Information technology is one of the fastest growing career fields in Florida and across the country. Job seekers with specific IT related training and certifications are in high demand,” said Sharon Setterlind, Dean of SPC’s College of Computer & Information Technology. “The HITT program will help create a diverse pool of talented workers to meet the needs of IT employers.”

In addition to being high-demand, information technology is a high-paid career field. Last year, the median hourly wage for the IT industry in the Tampa Bay area was $29.55.

Enrollment into the HITT program is competitive and is based on certain eligibility requirements, such as unemployment status.

Full details about the grant are available on the websites for WorkNet Pinellas or the Tampa Bay WorkForce Alliance.

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Regional call to arms for tech training

St. Petersburg College was mentioned in a recent Tampa Bay Times column looking at how to provide technology workers in the region with needed skills and more real-world experience.

The article discussed a report that was the brainchild of Rick Homans, CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp. It also talked about student chapters of the Tampa Bay Technology Forum at SPC and USF St. Petersburg, plus the creation of tech training programs at local community colleges that complement instead of duplicate each other.

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Vology CEO Barry Shevlin to speak at luncheon, address students

Barry Shevlin

Barry Shevlin, CEO of Vology, Inc., a leading networking and telecommunications services and solutions company, will speak about the industry at a luncheon with select College of Computer and Information Technology faculty, administrators and students at 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12.

After lunch, he will address students at the Clearwater Campus Court Room in SS 160 as part of a CCIT Technology Forum from 12:15-1:15 p.m. Human Resources representatives from Vology will be present to speak with students about career and employment opportunities.

Shevlin was named the Technology CEO of the Year in 2009 by Tampa Bay CEO Magazine. He was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008 by the Gulf Coast Business Review. His company, Vology, was named the winner of the 2010 Best Places to Work by the Tampa Bay Business Journal and also was a finalist in 2011.

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SPC helps develop iPhone Hurricane Web app

iPhone Hurricane Web app

St. Petersburg College’s Center for Public Safety Innovation has developed an iPhone Hurricane Web app for Pinellas County residents to use before, during and after hurricanes. The app was recently featured on BayNews9.

The Web app, which is slated for development on other mobile devices in the coming year, was created in conjunction with Lightmaker USA, Inc., a social media management and consulting firm in Orlando.

With the Web app, residents get emergency updates and checklists at their fingertips and a one-stop tool that provides the necessary information to prepare for, weather, and recover from a hurricane. The app works on the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad devices.

“Obviously, the trend of mobile delivery has picked up pace over the last couple of years,” said Jamie Ferrazano, Technology Manager at the Center for Public Safety Innovation. “We ultimately decided that if we built something, it needed to be something practical, and something the community can use.”

To use the app, residents answer a few questions about home occupancy, special needs requirements, pets, and evacuation zones. Don’t know your evacuation zone? The app provides access to Pinellas County Emergency Management’s website to help find it.

Once the questions are answered, a personalized profile is created detailing how to prepare a disaster kit and emergency plan. The app also features emergency alerts and Twitter feeds from Pinellas County Emergency Management, as well as evacuation information, such as routes and shelters, with access to Google maps.

The Center for Public Safety Innovation hopes to customize the app for other counties in Florida in the coming year.

For step by step instructions, please view the full instructions for installing the Hurricane App.

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