National Skills Summit

National Skills Summit
Innovative Initiatives:Targeted Populations

Harmony Careers International, Inc. (HCI), SAIC and Montgomery County Career Transition Center: Training and Internship Program

The Challenge:

To create a pool of workers who possess the computer skills needed by IT businesses in the Washington, D.C., area.

The Solution:

Provide non-traditional workers with information technology skills training and internships that feed directly into IT jobs.

The Partners:

Harmony Careers International, Inc. (HCI) provides computer training and job placement services to industry professionals, people who seek career changes, out-of-school youth, people with disabilities, and dislocated workers.

SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation) provides environmental management, regulatory compliance, and pollution control services to private corporations and government facilities.

Montgomery County, Maryland Career Transition Center funds HCI and refers potential trainees.

District of Columbia Office of Employment Services and Prince George's County Career Transition Center refer potential trainees to HCI.

The Story:

Sufei Chang never imagined that she could be working for one of the hundreds of firms in the Washington D.C., area starved for qualified, computer-literate workers. However, Sufei's enrollment in the HCI program opened a world of new opportunity for her. After she completed a training and internship program that earned her a certificate in the mastery of Microsoft Office software, Sufei transitioned into a temporary office position at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Shortly thereafter, Sufei was hired permanently as a full-time office clerk at the FDA.

HCI provides a service both to workers like Sufei and to the companies that hire them. For low-skilled workers, HCI offers certification in 35 computer software programs, including Windows 2000, Cisco Network, A+, Oracle, and Java programs, in courses lasting from two to six months. For employers, HCI provides skilled, paid interns for three months who are eligible to be hired permanently. More than 300 business and government partners made a commitment to HCI to employ interns and graduates.

HCI works closely with local companies and is able to train people for an organization's specific needs. Companies that are seeking to hire people can contact HCI with a detailed position description, and HCI will send a qualified intern to fill the job opening. HCI also sends out e-mail advertising and recruits companies to participate in the internship program. HCI does not partner with any company that cannot promise to provide HCI trainees with employment opportunities at the end of the internship.

HCI meets its commitment to both employers and employees by providing the highest-caliber training services, which it is able to offer thanks to cooperation with numerous partners. In a collaboration with SAIC University (a corporate university), HCI provides computer training for SAIC employees who want to upgrade their skills. In return, HCI uses the university computer training facilities to train people outside of SAIC.

HCI receives funding from Montgomery County Career Transition Center and the Maryland Software Industry Consortium. Trainees come to HCI on their own or are referred by the Montgomery County Career Transition Center, Prince George's County Career Transition Center, and the District of Columbia Office of Employment Services.

A Model of Innovation:

HCI's approach of tailoring computer training to the needs of its employer partners builds trust between the organizations and increases the employers' confidence in HCI graduates. The emphasis on internships and guaranteed work opportunities for trainees demonstrates HCI's commitment to workers that lasts well beyond the period of training.

Contacts:

Stella Kwan, President
HCI, Inc.
110 N. Washington St., Suites 4E & 5F
Rockville, MD 20850
301-251-8859 (p)
301-251-8873 (f)

George Otchere, Senior Vice President
SAIC
1710 Goodridge
Drive McLean, VA 22102
703-676-7203 (p)
703-676-2909 (f)

Joseph J. O'Hare
Metro Tech Representative
Montgomery County Career Transition Center
11160 Viers Mill Road, Suite 408
Wheaton, MD 20902
301-929-6880 (p)
301-946-8235 (f)

Corporate Universities

Corporate universities are a growing trend - more than 1,600 companies have training programs they refer to as "universities," according to Corporate University Xchange, a corporate education research and consulting firm. Some corporate universities are actual campuses and others simply reflect the company's multi-faceted approach to in-house training. Some, such as Motorola Corporation, have campuses around the globe, while others, such as Dell University, SunU and Verifone University, follow the virtual university model. But all reflect a corporate commitment to continuous learning for employees and the development of a flexible, highly skilled workforce.

Source: Corporate University Xchange, Inc.: www.corpu.com.