KPLU Local News
(2009-07-06)
Listen Now:
SEATTLE, WA
(KPLU) -
These days, just about every job out there involves computers. With that in mind, the state department of employment security has teamed up with Microsoft to provide free online training in the latest IT skills. You don't have to be unemployed to take advantage of the training - just a state resident.
null
45-year-old Paul Akerlund has worked in IT for nearly two decades now. He's got tons of experience as a network engineer. He was recently a finalist for a job at Microsoft, but didn't get it. "And I just got done with that interview process and I thought to myself, you know there was a lot of questions that I could have been a lot more thorough in my answers and a lot more knowledgeable," he says. "And even though I do that type of work, you know, you don't know everything. So I decided to bunker down and slam this out."
Akerlund went to his local WorkSource office and got a voucher to enroll in online training provided by Microsoft. He's taking six exams to become fully certified in his field - and he has time to do it since he was recently laid off from a job at a bank. But he says he would recommend it to anyone. The courses offered can be catered to individual needs - from highly technical to more general.
"You know, like say, at your work, you just want to know how to work Microsoft Word better," he says. "You don't necessarily have to go take the test to be a certified person. But you can just go get a voucher and for free take that course set. I find that doing the training, there are all kinds of things you discover that you didn't even know were there."
The state still has more than 22-thousand vouchers available. They have to be activated by the end of this month, but you can take up to a year to finish the courses. Certification exams by third parties can cost hundreds of dollars, although some may be covered by the state. Akerlund is paying $125 each for the six tests he's taking. But he thinks his new credentials will increase his earning power by about twenty five percent.
(To hear the full story from KPLU's Bellamy Pailthorp, click on "play" above.)
For More Information:
Find a WorkSource Office Near You
Microsoft's Elevate America Training Site
© Copyright 2012, KPLU
