Tri-C partners with tech giants on initiatives

The companies are working with Tri-C to help fill a glaring workforce need for middleskill jobs.

Cuyahoga Community College is partnering with three technology giants — Apple, IBM and Microsoft — on a series of initiatives aimed at attracting and training new talent for the IT field.

The companies are working with Tri-C to help fill a glaring workforce need for middle-skill jobs that require more than a high school diploma but less than a bachelor’s degree.

“That is a key reason why these partnerships are significant for Northeast Ohio,” said Monique Umphrey, vice president of workforce innovation and dean of the Information Technology Center of Excellence at Tri-C. “They assist in providing an entryway for IT careers at the sub-baccalaureate level.”

Each company will provide unique resources benefiting Tri-C faculty and students:

IBM will work with the college on a pair of initiatives: a program that offers both classroom learning and applied learning opportunities in the field and a self-paced online learning program ideal for professionals looking to broaden their skills.

Apple’s partnership will give students and faculty no-cost access to a large portion of its vast repositories of development knowledge and data.

Microsoft’s Civic Tech initiative will provide $10,000 in grant money to assist companies hiring graduates of Tri-C’s Cleveland Codes fast-track software development program. The money will assist with job placement, internships and technical assistance for those companies.

“We’re really excited for the new opportunities these partnerships will provide for our students,” Umphrey said. “We already provide exceptional classroom education, and these partnerships will add to that — better preparing our students for today’s IT careers.”