New North: Partners with Microsoft, gener8tor, American Family Insurance and Thrivent partner for third round of upskilling program

NEW NORTH – New North Inc., the regional marketing and economic development corporation serving the 18 counties of Northeast Wisconsin, announced today that applications now are open for a third round of gener8tor Upskilling. The 10-week program focused on skills development is centered around IT Administration.

Upskilling is offered through a continuing partnership with Microsoft, gener8tor, the Steve Stricker American Family Insurance Foundation and Thrivent. The free accelerator program is designed for individuals ready to learn digital skills in order to apply for in-demand jobs in the region.

Applications to participate in the training are available at www.gener8torupskilling.com/northeast-wisconsin. The deadline to apply is March 3, 2021.

Ideal candidates are individuals with an interest in IT and are detail/tech oriented, though no prior IT experience is necessary. Those previously in office management and/or administrative assistant roles are considered a good fit.

“We are excited to offer a round of upskilling focused on IT Administration,” says Barb LaMue, president and CEO of New North, Inc. “With the increase in virtual work, the need for IT Administrators is critical. The first two cohorts of the gener8tor Upskilling program, which focused on Customer Service and Sales, were a great success. We can’t thank our partners enough for their ongoing support.”

The gener8tor Upskilling cohort for IT Administrators runs from March 8 through May 14, with a virtual graduation ceremony scheduled for May 20. The training is completed at an individual pace, and participants receive one-on-one support from gener8tor staff.

The program will give graduates the skills needed for the CompTIA Network+ certification exam. Participants also have the ability to earn several Microsoft Certifications, along with resume/cover letter assistance and interview skills practice. That will be followed by the opportunity to interview with companies ready to hire candidates with the skills acquired through the gener8tor Upskilling program.

gener8tor Upskilling builds on Microsoft’s TechSpark program, which collaborates on the local level in order to foster economic growth. In 2020, the company announced its global skilling initiative that seeks to help 25 million people worldwide who have lost their job due to COVID-19 by learning new skills pertaining to jobs that are available in their community. Microsoft furnished the initial funding for the program and is providing the LinkedIn Learning platform to leverage training in digital skills that have already been developed. 

More information on the program is available at https://www.gener8torupskilling.com/northeast-wisconsin.