Minneapolis Mayor Hodges Congratulates IT-Ready on New Office in Edina

MINNEAPOLIS, May 27, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges offered her congratulations at Creating IT Futures Foundation's Open House for its new IT-Ready office in Edina, Minn. The foundation's philanthropic IT-Ready program trains and certifies information technology (IT) workers and helps place them into their first paid IT role.

Debra Bahr-Helgen, director, City of Minneapolis Employment and Training, spoke on behalf of Mayor Betsy Hodges at the Open House's ribbon-cutting ceremony: "Mayor Hodges sends her congratulations to IT-Ready. The Mayor is very committed to increasing the participation of women and minorities in the tech industry. She knows how important it is to develop programs that will make the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area a hub for innovation and technology." 

Minneapolis-St. Paul is one of 20 regions named by the White House for its TechHire Initiative. In its nnouncement, the White House highlighted the commitment from 300 employers to hiring new workforce entrants, and 60 of those employers are based in the Twin Cities area. 

"One of the key partners in our TechHire effort is IT-Ready, and we are very excited for the joint work we'll be doing to make the Minneapolis-St. Paul area a hub for technology and open up opportunities for everyone to thrive in the tech field," added Bahr-Helgen speaking for Mayor Hodges. 

IT-Ready is offered free of charge in order to help unemployed and under-employed individuals enter the IT field, which has a shortage of qualified workers. Applications for the next IT-Ready eight-week class are due by June 29; the class begins on July 20. Potential participants can apply at www.ITReady.com.

Since the program was established in Minneapolis / St. Paul in 2012, more than 120 individuals have graduated from IT-Ready, with nearly 95 percent earning their CompTIA A+ certification and 80 percent moving into paid IT roles with area companies after graduation.

"The Twin Cities gave birth to IT-Ready and we're thrilled to have our own training space now," said Charles Eaton, CEO, Creating IT Futures Foundation. "We have 20 students in our first class in this new facility. They're about a few weeks into their training and already looking sharp." 

To see what's required of IT-Ready participants and all that they receive, potential employers, mentors, apprentices and community partners can learn more at www.ITReady.com.

About the Creating IT Futures Foundation 
The Creating IT Futures Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity with the mission of helping populations under-represented in the information technology industry and individuals who are lacking in opportunity to prepare for, secure, and be successful in IT careers. Learn more at www.creatingITfutures.org.

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SOURCE Creating IT Futures Foundation

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