techfrederick’s Aspire Training Program Awarded Largest EARN Grant Funding in the State by the Maryland Department of Labor

July 19, 2022 / / News

Public-Private Partnership in Tech Training Mitigates Economic Impacts of Pandemic and Provides Support to Local Tech Businesses and Displaced Workers

For Immediate Release: Frederick County, Maryland

FREDERICK, MD (July 19, 2022) – techfrederick, a non-profit 501(c)(3) coalition of local high-tech companies, just received its 6th round of funding from the Department of Labor, garnering its largest amount of funding in a single grant to date, $439,225. Since its inception, techfrederick’s Aspire Training program has been awarded over $1.5m in grant funds through this initiative to offer high caliber, high tech training to local tech professionals seeking to upgrade their occupational skills.

After successfully adapting through the pandemic, techfrederick’s Aspire program went on to deliver continued success in 2021 and through July 2022, including:

● 17 training sessions to the local business community, covering topics ranging from cloud based web service software to business strategy to project management and more
● Participation of 294 individual employees in training classes that were identified as necessary to the business community through needs assessment surveying
● Content which supported the attendees on pathways to various technical certifications and additional responsibilities in their roles
● Increased retention for businesses by upskilling their staff

The successful community partnership of techfrederick, combined with MD State Department of Labor funding, has helped create a local hub for tech organizations to find support with upskilling, earning industry specific certifications, taking on additional responsibilities in their roles, and community connections with others in their field. “We are so pleased to continue to support techfrederick through our nationally-recognized EARN Maryland program,” said Maryland Department of Labor Secretary Tiffany P. Robinson. “It is through programs like these that we will continue to cultivate a highly-skilled workforce that helps Maryland employers to grow.”

Both employers and their employees have found the subsidized training offerings to be impactful within their operations.

“As an IT manager I wear many hats. The training techfrederick offers gives me the ability to keep the company I work for ahead in technology. I have implemented 100% of what I learned into production, moving 60% of the company into a cloud-based platform. This would not have been possible without techfrederick. In addition, the cost savings drastically impacted my ability to attend. The many courses that I’ve taken, if they were full price I would not be able to afford them and the company would have requested an outside contractor to perform the tasks needed thus leaving me without the needed experience. Not only has techfrederick been helpful in the advancement in my company’s IT infrastructure, It has also given me more experience and knowledge that makes me a valuable company asset.”, said Pierre Lestaevel, IT Manager, ACDi, an electronics manufacturing organization based in Frederick, MD. Lesteaevel has attended multiple training courses, including AWS and Azure.

“I joined techfrederick this year, and was thrilled to discover their grant funded class offerings. I’ve been focused on refreshing my skills while preparing to re-enter the job market, and in just a few months I’ve been able to take classes in AWS, React and Project Management. These are all applicable to the roles that I’m targeting, and taking them would otherwise have been cost prohibitive. I highly recommend techfrederick, and am looking forward to exploring future opportunities with this friendly group of professionals.”, shared Jamie R., a Frederick-based local tech job seeker.

“I lead a small team who has benefited greatly from the training resources techfrederick has offered. Members of my team and I have taken both Agile Leading SAFe and Microsoft Azure for Administration classes which have provided much needed skill sets and awareness, directly contributing to project success and my team’s career path development. We feel fortunate to be able to participate in quality educational sessions for costs that allow us to train everyone on the team. techfrederick makes it very easy for us and has gone above and beyond in connecting us with the resources we have needed. We can’t thank them enough and are excited to learn more in the future!,” Dan Spruill, Director of Information Technology, BOLAND.

Businesses or individuals local to the Frederick regional area that have a need for tech-based training should reach out to techfrederick for more information.

About techfrederick:

techfrederick has been formed to cultivate all things tech. We identify, highlight, support, foster awareness of, advocate for, and develop Frederick’s growing high tech community through community education and human resource development, entrepreneurship training programs, and related events.

Contact: Amy Pontius, apontius@techfrederick.org, 916-380-9875

About ASPIRE:

In partnership with the State of Maryland, Department of Labor, techfrederick – a consortium of local IT business leadership – is offering access to training, in order to upgrade occupational skills and increase employability within the IT industry. The best IT companies in the area have come together to identify the skills that talented people need, in order to increase marketability and compete for positions in the growing technology field.

The ASPIRE Training Program serves anyone within the community who is looking to enhance their skill set within the tech arena. If you are actively searching for a position or specific training within IT, including but not limited to, networking, website development, systems administration, website application, and are seeking to improve your professional communication and project management skills, this training is for you!

The ASPIRE Training Program offers customized training focused on critical occupations and skill shortages identified by people in the IT community through the Maryland Department of Labor EARN Grant.

Learn More: https://techfrederick.org/initiatives/aspire-training/

Contact: Brooke Warburton, bwarburton@techfrederick.org, 301-456-4167

About EARN:

EARN Maryland is a state-funded, competitive workforce development grant program that is industry-led, regional in focus, and a proven strategy for helping businesses cultivate the skilled workforce they need to compete. It is flexible and innovative, designed to ensure that Maryland employers have the talent they need to compete and grow in an ever-changing 21st century economy.

Learn More: https://www.dllr.state.md.us/earn/

Contact: Mary Keller, DOL, mary.keller@maryland.gov, 410-767-2017

Brooke Faulkner

More Posts »

Comments are closed.