Tech Collective graduates 16 from “IT On Demand” program

PROVIDENCE – Tech Collective, a bioscience and information technology industry association, recently graduated 16 of its “IT On Demand” participants.
This was the program’s second round, and to date, six participants have been hired full-time, while 10 are completing their internships.
The graduation was held earlier this month at Kirkbrae Country Club in Lincoln.
This session of IT On Demand was supported by Workforce Solutions of Providence/Cranston and the Workforce Partnership of Greater Rhode Island with funds provided by a grant from the R.I. Department of Labor and Training and the U.S. Department of Labor.
“IT On Demand” provides unemployed information technology practitioners with technical, business and experiential training. The 14-week program aims to advance participants’ technical and business skill sets to prepare them to re-enter the workforce at the mid-level.
One of the participants, Rick Solari, completed the final component of the IT On Demand program – his internship with AGI Construction Inc. – at the end of October and began fulltime employment with the company on Nov. 3.
After spending 33 years in the IT industry, Solari had found himself unemployed with an outdated technical skill set and no experience writing a resume or going on interviews.
“My interest in the IT On Demand program stemmed from the technical training, but it quickly grew to also encompass the business and soft skills training, interviewing, networking and company tours and speakers. For me, those were critical,” Solari said.
More than 130 applications were received for the IT On Demand session.
After initial screening and interviews, qualified candidates were invited to participate in interviews with Rhode Island IT employers, who then selected the participants.
Ten Rhode Island IT employers hired and/or hosted IT On Demand participants for internships, including: AGI Construction Inc.; Bishop Keough High School; Brave River Solutions; Computer Associates Inc.; Custom Computer Specialists; Fidelity Investments; Providence Mutual; The Providence Plan; Rhode Island Foundation; and Scandia Consulting.
According to Tech Collective, Computer Associates Inc. has hired three IT On Demand participants and is currently hosting one experiential learning participant, Ed Wingert.
Wingert had previously worked in the IT industry before deciding to switch to software engineering.
“I was impressed with the way the program design mirrors what the industry requires and by the willingness of local companies to participate in it. My role at Computer Associates utilizes many of the skills learned during the course of the IT On Demand program,” he said.

Chris Kudla, vice president of product development for Computer Associates Inc. said Computer Associates has been challenged with finding qualified IT talent, like many other companies.

“When we learned about Tech Collective and the IT On Demand program, it seemed like a natural fit for us. Not only have we been able to hire several graduates of the program, the participants themselves have also provided us with valuable input that we will utilize as our company grows and continues to move forward,” Kudla said.

Said Kathie Shields, Tech Collective executive director, “We are extremely proud of today’s IT On Demand graduates and look forward to their continued growth and contributions to Rhode Island.”

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