As the digital transformation continues to expand exponentially across industries and nations, it has become more imperative than ever for companies to source and recruit qualified professionals that can fill high-demand, highly skilled roles. And yet, the cost of education is one of the most prominent barriers to postsecondary attendance, and is the leading cause of increased dropout rates among low-income students and a failure to graduate.
You might ask, what is the answer for new or mid-career professionals that have neither the time or money to go back to school full time? From cybersecurity to coding, bootcamps offer a range of integrated advantages for upskilling and career training, from distance learning to networking opportunities, including access to funding support for WIOA approved IT programs.
But, what is WIOA?
Under former president Barack Obama, the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 was reformed. Taking on a new name, it was signed into law in 2014, to be enacted in July 2015 as the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Effectively the first legislative reform seen in the public workforce system in fifteen years, WIOA encouraged businesses to seek federal government assistance to provide job training, career training services, education programs, and other needs to eligible youth and adults to develop the skills to advance their careers.
As a federal program funded by the Department of Labor, WIOA is administered by each state through local job organizations and educational institutions. The WIOA program can be accessed by diverse job seeker groups across the nation to help pay for desired learning programs. From youth workers and dislocated workers, to disabled workers and adult learners, WIOA provides resources for employee success to answer the need to close the widening skills gap, and continually provide new professionals to fill high-demand roles.
A groundbreaking legislative achievement of the decade, WIOA has impacted professional training programs across the nation by providing a proposed $100 billion dollars to rejuvenate the American workforce. According to Forbes, “WIOA allocates $3.6 billion annually to help job seekers access training and support to find employment, with 80% of WIOA funding given directly to states who distribute the funds.”
Here’s why you should consider picking an IT boot camp program:
IT offers continuous skill-building for adult learners
Challenging yourself to excel and to acquire new technical skills is the aim of IT bootcamp programs targeted at the career training needed to enter the tech field. But besides upskilling new professionals and late stage career changers, the demands of tech will keep you continually building your skills and your tech stack as part of a regularly evolving field and an ever growing workforce. Every tech professional knows that the only thing certain in technology is that the tech industry is in constant flux.
A tech career boasts upward mobility
The digital skills gap has brought to the forefront a very real gap in equitable career training and education, causing companies to see the need for a more skilled workforce. This has made room for impacting the lives of men and women from varying socioeconomic backgrounds and demographics, providing the lucrative opportunity for income mobility and social mobility that comes with the territory. For new professionals and career shifters looking to explore different career paths, the appeal of the tech industry is monumental. In addition, many tech workers can possibly make upwards of $50,000 a year without degrees, breaking down barriers once faced by those unable to afford an education.
Tech embraces diverse cultures and backgrounds
A common language may not be universal, but the need for technology is a truth universally acknowledged across nations and generations. Just as the technologies that connect us differ in their application and scope, so do the people that lead and support the tech industry. With a global population that is becoming more and more diverse, and initiatives targeted towards increasing the racial and the gender gap in the workforce, professionals from all types of backgrounds and cultures are becoming the norm.
WIOA makes access possible where it was once a barrier to attain the career training and professional development necessary to spur one’s career path forward into a new, specialized field. WIOA is both comprehensive and extensive depending on where you live, the category and criteria that you meet and supports most upskilling initiatives.
A handful of ThriveDX-powered programs are currently approved for WIOA funding. We are working towards getting as many of our programs approved for WIOA funding to continue to create access to professional development and career training.
ThriveDX aims to develop more equitable access to opportunity and advancement for the students in ThriveDX-powered programs, and help create a more sustainable cyber talent pipeline. For more information about upskilling and reskilling in cybersecurity, visit our website.
