Helping Other People Excel (H.O.P.E.)
WASHINGTON (bdpatoday)—The H.O.P.E. Project DMV launched its inaugural IT Summit and Town Hall in the District of Columbia on Saturday, October 1, 2016. The IT Summit and Town Hall provided District residents unique opportunities to network and discuss industry trends with H.O.P.E. Project DMV alumni, IT industry experts, talent acquisition professionals, human resources (HR) managers, and project managers who run state-of-the-art IT departments, tech support, and help desk operations.
This year’s workshop topics included, but was not limited to, the latest skills and certifications needed to land technical jobs, interviewing techniques, and the latest industry trends in areas such as Help Desk, Network Administration, and Cybersecurity. Obtaining security clearances and cultivating professional networks with community and trade associations also was presented and discussed.
Town Hall panelists (seated right to left) included: DC Workforce Investment Council Executive Director Mr. Odie Donald; Ward 8 Workforce Development Council Chair of the Board Ms. Carla Harris; U.S. Census Bureau IT Service Desk Manager Ms. Richard Honesty; and Ms. Ashley Williams, D.C. Department of Employment Services Office of Youth Programs. BDPA-DC Chapter President, Perry Carter, provided the Town Hall’s opening remarks.
This year’s IT Summit provided unique opportunities for District and Washington-area residents to get introduced to the H.O.P.E. Project. One of America’s fastest growing award winning training programs was founded by Raymond Bell, Jr. in 2009. It has been called “Harvard of the Hood” as hundreds of District residents successfully continue to move from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and minimum wage jobs directly into new technical career paths earning annual wages north of $42,000 on average in less than a year.
Courtney R. Snowden (right), Deputy Mayor for Greater Economic Opportunity (DMGEO), was the Town Hall’s featured speaker. She highlighted how this evolutionary program continues to make positive and significant impacts for the local economy and east of the river (EOTR).
Participating HOPE students, BDPA Members, HOPE Volunteers, and HOPE Alumni provided testimonials lauding their recent success stories. As one student clearly stated, “H.O.P.E. is really Real!” In 2017, H.O.P.E. Project DMV, HOPE Alumni, and IT industry experts will travel to major U.S. cities, taking their IT Summit and Town Hall on the road to other underserved communities and BDPA Chapter cities.
This month, nine concurrent training and certification sessions begin featuring CompTIA’s A+, Network+, Security+; PMI’s PMP certification, and ITIL® Foundation’s certification training.
For more information, select here to visit HOPE Project DMV’s landing page, or download your October 2016 edition of bdpatoday. →
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