The Washington State Library can add online technology training to its list of free services thanks to a partnership with Microsoft, which has expanded its IT Academy from classrooms to anyone looking to advance their tech skills and gain a competitive edge in the global job market.
“In many ways, it’s a dream come true,” said Bill Ptacek, director for the King County Library System. “The library has always been, if you will, the people’s university.”
Washington residents will be able to go to more than 385 libraries across the state, including public, technical colleges and tribal, to set up an account to choose from up to 250 online information technology courses at no cost. The King County Library System is already up and running.
Microsoft is footing 90 percent of the bill after the state Legislature back in June approved financial support for the academy in the state library’s 2013-15 operating budget at $1.5 million. Pushing for the funding was Secretary of State Kim Wyman.
“This is a 90-percent discount that Microsoft is providing,” said Wyman inside the Bellevue Library during Tuesday’s (Nov. 12) launch for the academy. “What a wonderful bargain for Washington and its libraries.”
Washington will be the first state to offer the IT Academy with its training and certification programs to both its public schools and public libraries, the former launching in late 2011.
More than 50 percent of jobs in the United States require some form of technology training, said Margo Day, vice president of U.S. education, Microsoft. That number is expected to increase to 77 percent in the near future. She added Microsoft Office is a critical requirement for most jobs requiring technology training based on data research.
“IT Academy is the best thing to happen to my school since peanut butter and jelly in our lunchroom,” said Kathy Schmit, business and technology instructor at Kalama High School in southwest Washington. “It is a phenomenal resource, and now I have parents saying, ‘How do I get into that,’ and I can now say, ‘Go down to the library.’ “
Student Brady Harmon said his IT Academy training, which took him and two other students to the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship in Washington, D.C. earlier this year, even led to a job offer from a private contractor with the city of Kalama composing Excel spreadsheets. But, sports got in the way. That, and being a sophomore in high school.
“After getting the certification stuff, you just become a lot more comfortable performing the programs,” Harmon said. “And if your teacher says, ‘Hey, I need you to make a PowerPoint by tomorrow about this broad range of subjects,’ you can just, ‘OK, I got it,’ and you’re also able to help out your other fellow students.”
Washington District 48 Rep. Cyrus Habib lauded the expansion of the IT Academy Tuesday for its opening access to those who need it most, including those with disabilities, veterans, tribal communities and young women trying to fill a gender gap in information technology education.
“I’m so proud to have this idea born out of the 48th legislative district,” Habib said. “I’m happy to be able to work in a bipartisan way with (Sen.) Andy (Hill) and others to fund it in the Legislature and I look forward to working with all of you to take this to the next level in the next biennium.”
