bdpatoday | H.O.P.E. Project DMV inks Training and Consulting deal with Goodwill

WASHINGTON—The HOPE Project DMV has signed a consulting and training deal with Goodwill Industries International. Their first project launches later this month during BDPA-DC’s Innovate DMV week (#InnovateDMV17) where 20 Goodwill employees from nine U.S. cities will attend a two-day workshop at the HOPE Training Facility in the District of Columbia on building, maintaining, and growing IT career training programs for young adults.

The H.O.P.E. Project DMV (HOPE) is an information technology (IT) training program dedicated to providing technical training and development for young adults. Their renown IT training program is designed to prepare students for entry-level positions as Help-desk and Application Support Professionals. HOPE’s mission empowers young adults to reach their potential by providing a comprehensive information technology training program, designed for students ages 17-35. HOPE (“Helping Other People Excel“), offers these services in a very diverse and caring environment. HOPE helps many, one by one, through dynamic programming that is responsive to immediate needs of local communities and IT Industries. HOPE is committed to helping young adults regain hope by offering relevant career and IT training.

Above (L-R) Raymond Bell, Jr.; Dean Cook; Michael Smith; and David Reid will lead HOPE’s training and consulting teams with Goodwill Industries for local technology training engagements across the U.S. HOPE’s training cadre captured 2016’s President’s Community and Technology Award with BDPA-DC for the National Capital region.

—BDPA-DC photo © 2016 by bdpatoday/Lynn Dunigan

In April, Goodwill Industries received a $16.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to provide critical job training and employment services through the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) in 9 states. Twenty autonomous and community-based Goodwill® organizations across the United States will be helping older job seekers learn new job skills while training at public and nonprofit organizations in their communities such as housing agencies, food banks, libraries, schools, senior centers and child care centers. The goal is for the skills they learn in these programs to directly lead to employment in the private or public sector for which wages, or wages and tips, are paid that equal or exceed new federal hourly minimum wages.

Goodwill Industries International also received a $4 million TechHire grant from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA) to train and place people in technology careers. Goodwill Industries through new and existing partnerships, will award certifications such as CompTIA A+, Security+, and Network+ certifications. They will also provide computer programmer training certifications for Microsoft Technology Associate and Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer as well as computer language-specific certifications. Additionally, this grant enables Goodwill^® organizations to provide paid internships and registered apprenticeships. The TechHire grant serves at least 700 individuals through the Goodwill Careers in Technology (CiT) program, which includes education and training partners like the Creating IT Futures Foundation (CompTIA’s philanthropic arm), online training provider MedCerts, and local workforce investment boards. The Goodwill CiT program will train individuals for career pathways in the information technology industry in two high-growth H-1B occupations: computer user support specialist and computer programmer.

National BDPA’s Greater Washington, D.C. Chapter is providing additional information about these and other tech grants, new summits, and other cyber workforce related opportunities for BDPA Members and new BDPA Student Members during its tenth annual Regional Innovation Summit at Bowie State University on Saturday, June 24, 2017.

BDPA Members with CompTIA certifications (A+, Network+, Security+), Help Desk expertise (HDI, ITIL), or training experiences (Cisco, Microsoft, PMI) in a BDPA Chapter-City or near the following cities: Tyler (TX), Houston (TX), Austin (TX), Colorado Springs (CO), Baltimore (MD), San Jose (CA), Roanoke (VA), Grandville (MI) and Columbus (OH), are invited to contact BDPA or send resumes via email to: TechHire@bdpadc.org for additional details or requirements if not attending this year’s Regional Innovation Summit at Bowie State University.