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Utah’s Skilled2Succeed Graduates Advance SkillsOREM, Utah – August 21, 2006 Skilled2Succeed (S2S), helping underserved Utahns achieve employment and self-sufficiency through certification and validation of critical job skills, announced today that its August graduating class has brought the total number of program graduates to 135. Fully ninety percent of graduates have secured employment resulting from their newly found skills. Two new classes have just started offering hope to an additional 24 individuals registered for the DirectPointe and UVSC hosted courses. “We are so pleased to make a difference in the lives of individuals who are striving to learn vital skills to enhance job prospects and raise their standard of living for themselves and their families,“ stated Mike Proper, CEO for DirectPointe and Skilled2Succeed sponsor. “As Skilled2Succeed continues to grow we look forward to the day when many more are benefited with good paying jobs that take technology skills beyond a high school diploma.“ Most participants have completed the UVSC Turning Point program before enrolling in Skilled2Succeed. More than 100 program graduates have attained Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC3) since program inception in 2005. Certiport employees have volunteered hundreds of hours to mentor participants and give them the encouragement needed to finish the class. “We have learned so much from every graduating class,“ stated Michelle Scott, vice president for business development at Certiport. “Classes are much more personal and interactive than when we started. The class now teaches 90 percent self-reliance – 10 percent computer skills.“Skilled2Succeed provides the final link in the chain from job retraining to meaningful advancement in the workplace. Certified program graduates have been placed in professional positions at companies like DirectPointe, Coldwell Banker and Novell, among others. The program merges the existing momentum of UVSC’s Turning Point center for personal and career development and WIT in an innovative partnership with DirectPointe, a private sector technology provider; and Certiport, world computer certification leader. More than 14,000* single parent Utah families live in poverty and 26** percent of Utah’s children live in working poor families. Research indicates that two thirds of disadvantaged adults find employment with a significant increase in income after training***. Employers and job retraining programs seeking more information about Skilled2Succeed may send email to Michelle Scott at mscott@certiport.com. For more information on current alliance partners see www.skilled2succeed.org.Certiport and IC3 are registered trademarks of Certiport, Inc. in the United States and other countries. *Source: U.S. 2000 Census **Source: Utah Children ***Source: Center for Public Policy and Administration – University of Utah Press Contact: |