Kalamazoo’s Business Community Leans into Talent Shortage, Works with Promise to Train IT Professionals
Bob Dunning, Vice President of Technology for Consumers Credit Union, assists a fellow colleague.
In response to the need to fill local entry-level IT support positions, six Kalamazoo organizations came together in the summer of 2019 to form the Kalamazoo Technology Training Partnership (KTTP).
The goal was simple: Identify and provide relevant alternative educational and non-traditional training to Kalamazoo Promise Scholars and Kalamazoo residents with a focus on creating a more robust and diverse IT community.
Something that had been lacking in years prior.
“It was very difficult to recruit IT support directly out of college,” said Bob Dunning, Vice President of Technology for Consumers Credit Union. “We did not have a lot of resumes come through when we put up positions, so we ended up hiring internal staff and training them up.”
Consumers wasn’t the only organization tasked with the challenge of hiring and retaining local talent, however. Other partners of the KTTP such as Greenleaf Hospitality Group, CTS Telecom, Newmind Group, the Kalamazoo Public Library, Landscape Forms, and Bronson Healthcare shared similar concerns.
“This really opened up my eyes to everyone else’s common issues,” Dunning shared. Often times, we’re struggling to solve the same problems.”
At the time, local universities and community colleges were some of the only pools to pull from when it came to recruitment for careers in technology. This alone couldn’t keep up with industry demand. The lack of talent readily available in the area called for an alternative onramp to careers in IT.
“What we were looking for was a system of education that wasn't necessarily tied to a two- or four-year degree, but still offered that same level of expertise.”
With that in mind, partners of the KTTP began to research a solution that could provide short-term post-secondary coursework where students could earn an industry-recognized credential upon completion. After much time and thought, the IT Certification Program from Google was adopted.
“Getting IT departments and groups together to focus on a common problem was huge for Kalamazoo’s technology community, and Google’s IT certification was the solution we all agreed on,” shared Dunning.
Shortly after that decision, the first cohort of future IT professionals began attending weekly classes, workshops, and learning all the disciplines necessary for a successful first step into an IT career.
Google’s comprehensive program focuses on developing an understanding around solving common technology problems in the workplace, getting familiar with the individual components that make up modern devices, and becoming a well-rounded IT generalist to support employees in an organization. Students of the first cohort recognized the value almost immediately.
Promise Scholar Jonann Walker is a graduate of the KTTP and current IT Systems Support Specialist at Consumers Credit Union.
“It was a program that I hadn't seen before,” shared Jonann Walker, KTTP graduate and current IT Systems Support Specialist at Consumers Credit Union. “I was researching some potential trades to get into and stumbled upon the Google IT program. When I saw that The Promise was involved in it, I thought to myself that this might be interesting to do.”
Upon graduating from the Google IT program, Walker quickly landed an internship with Consumers Credit Union in the IT Department where she hit the ground running.
“We were able to train Jonann on most of our tier-one support items within that first month and then she was handling tickets and supporting our staff in months two and three,” said Dunning.
For Walker, the opportunity allowed her to put all the tools she gathered through the training program on full display.
“The internship was very important to me,” shared Walker. “I was just excited to apply everything I learned from class. I enjoy knowing that what I learn is actually beneficial to others, and the internship gave me the confirmation that what I was learning is real and valuable.”
It wasn’t long before Dunning and Consumers recognized the value Walker was providing the company. Three months into her internship, Jonann was offered a full-time position with the credit union as an IT Systems Support Specialist.
“Because it was such a great fit and we had a need for the position, we were able to quickly offer her a full-time position,” said Dunning.
“As an IT Specialist at Consumers Credit Union, I help support the other employees in the company. That can be doing anything from fixing a computer, changing out a hard drive or adding memory, answering phone calls and emails, setting up mock stations, and testing out new technologies.”
Walker expressed her appreciation for Consumers’ approach to ensuring continuous and sustainable growth within the organization.
“A lot of the learning is self-paced. It's not like they're throwing you in the deep-end and giving you things you can’t handle. You gradually build the tools in your toolbox through each project.”
For Consumers, bringing Jonann into a full-time role is only the beginning of more to come.
Consumer's Credit Union Company Values: Be Genuine. Be Passionate. Be Purposeful. Be The Solution. Be A Servant Leader.
“I like the idea of always having interns coming through and us preparing them for the next step into their future career. I do feel that we will have a rotation of interns every summer and when opportunities do present themselves for a full-time position, we can make that offer.”
Dunning also expressed the importance the training program will play in continuously fulfilling Consumers’ talent pipeline.
“I think through the KTTP, the Google IT Training program created a pathway for individuals who may not be in a place to pursue a two- or four-year degree. But if they’re curious, they’re tenacious, and they’re also good with technology, this is a very clear path to a very good career that’s going to be in demand for as long as I can see.”
When asked about what advice she would give to other Promise Scholars considering a program like the KTTP, Walker emphasized that there is nothing to lose in trying.
“I would say give it a shot. At the beginning, I had no knowledge about what IT was. So just give it a shot and try it out. Sometimes you find a gem in a random place, and I feel like that’s what the IT program was for me.”
For Kalamazoo Promise Scholars interested in the Google IT Support Professional Certificate and Workplace Navigation Training Program, recruitment has begun for the next class beginning Spring 2022. Sign up for a waiting list at the button below.
