On December 5, 2017, Brandywine Technology and Tech Impact announced a partnership aimed at helping younger job candidates land entry-level IT roles in local companies… without a college degree! The news was quickly picked up by several local media outlets, including WDEL radio. Veteran news anchor for the station, Peter MacArthur, jumped at the chance to host a short segment on his early morning radio show on Thursday, December 7. Here’s how the interview went:
Below is the press release that was distributed, notifying the Delaware Valley of the partnership:
Tech Impact and Brandywine Technology’s Secret Sauce for Filling IT Roles in the Delaware Valley
NEWARK, DE – December 5 – There is nothing more powerful than a strong partnership. Just ask Joel Pierson, president of Brandywine Technology. “We are excited to work with Tech Impact’s ITWorks team to identify qualified candidates for technical roles, satisfying our customers’ needs for talent that can ‘hit the ground running’,” explains Pierson.
Brandywine Technology partners with the ITWorks team to place their graduates. According to Jessica Mitchell, ITWorks Program Manager, “We put our heads together to identify the right talent and personality for the position, then work with the Brandywine Technology team to coordinate interviews, handle prescreening, and placement,” she continues, “It’s very seamless.”
ITWorks puts their students through comprehensive technical training curriculum preparing for the CompTIA A+ certification that spans 16 weeks. Where do the ITWorks participants come from? “Our applicant pool is quite diverse, but about 45% of applicants come from graduate referrals, which is a great indication of the effectiveness of the program, explains Mitchell, “What truly sets our collaboration with Brandywine Technology apart is how engaged each graduate is with the role they have been hired for – something that can be hard to find with entry-level roles!”
“We are seeing a paradigm shift in this space. Positions that may have required a college degree in the past are now successfully filled by graduates of programs that provide focused, immersive, exposure to technologies that are in high demand right now,” says Pierson.
Armed with the technical and professional skills in high demand following completion of the ITWorks program, recent graduates are currently working in technical roles in Delaware Valley organizations. “As a result of this partnership, we have great expectations that more public and private sector roles will be filled by ITWorks graduates in the coming months,” says Pierson.
The satisfaction that the graduates have with their careers, as a result of working with Brandywine Technology, is one of the ultimate goals of the partnership. Based upon successes, ITWorks plans to continue partnering with Brandywine Technology. “We look forward to continuing the partnership and helping young people launch their careers in IT,” shares Mitchell.
About Tech Impact
Tech Impact’s mission is to empower communities and nonprofits to use technology to better serve our world. Through ITWorks, they offer a free, 16-week, immersive IT training for young adults– motivated high school graduates, 18-26 years old, who have not yet completed a Bachelor’s degree. Students earn a professional certification in IT and a real-world internship inside leading corporations and nonprofits. Contact: Jessica Mitchell, 215-557-1559 x206, [email protected].
About Brandywine Technology
The Brandywine Technology team helps organizations, both large and small, maximize business performance through HR and IT staffing placement. As staffing experts, Brandywine Technology leverages their technical and HR expertise to identify and place candidates with the specialized skills and career aspirations that most effectively match their customers’ needs, paying special attention to the “cultural fit” of the candidate. Contact: Kim McColgan, 302-656-6100, [email protected].
