SkillStorm’s Upskill Together project will expand access to in-demand industry-recognized credentials; provide free training to individuals from historically underserved communities
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas today announced that it has joined Upskill Together, an initiative led by a coalition of universities and that aims to expand access to high-demand, industry-recognized technology credentials. Developed by the tech talent platform SkillStorm, Upskill Together includes a unique one-to-one match program that will provide free technology upskilling programs to learners from historically underserved communities for each individual who trains through the platform.
“For too long, the tech industry has treated widespread talent shortages and persistent equity gaps as separate and unrelated challenges — but in reality, they are two sides of the same coin,” said Joe Mitchell, COO of SkillStorm. “With the support of our partners around the country, Upskill Together match scholarships will accelerate economic opportunity for people from all backgrounds, providing pathways to the skills and industry credentials employers need to support their digital transformation initiatives today and into the future. ”
The launch of Upskill Together comes at a critical inflection point for the U.S. workforce: as the pace of technological change continues to accelerate, half of information technology decision-makers report that the number one reason they continue to face skill gaps is difficulty recruiting and retaining job candidates with relevant expertise. Upskill Together aims to tackle this challenge by providing online, instructor-led training for learners at associate universities to earn in-demand industry-recognized credentials in skills like cloud computing, Salesforce, and automation.
For each participant who accesses training through one of the initiative’s university or corporate partners, Upskill Together’s one-to-one match scholarship program will provide the exact same training at no cost to a learner with demonstrated financial need, with a focus on supporting women, veterans, and others from groups that are historically underrepresented in the tech industry.
“UNLV and its leadership are always in search of new approaches that can help bridge the gap between learning and work, particularly as we evolve to support a growing population of nontraditional learners,” said Joseph M. Miera, UNLV vice provost for educational outreach. “Our role in Upskill Together reflects our mission of expanding access to technology certification courses that can help our students, alumni, and community members access careers in the region’s fastest-growing industries as the demand for diverse tech talent continues to grow.”
Upskill Together and its Founding Partners welcome inquiries from employers or higher education institutions interested in joining the initiative and making a commitment to accelerating economic opportunity. To learn more or apply for a scholarship, visit upskilltogether.com.
The initiative’s university Founding Partners include:
- California State University Fullerton
- Indiana Wesleyan University
- Florida International University
- Florida State University
- Jacksonville University
- University of Central Florida
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- University of Tampa
About UNLV Division of Educational Outreach
The Division of Educational Outreach at UNLV is committed to creating an environment that promotes quality instruction, professional development, stimulating research, and community engagement. The courses and programs that we offer are developed with excellence in mind. The Continuing Education Program designs and delivers high quality non-credit programs, courses, workshops and seminars to both professional and casual learners. The Division's programs support UNLV's mission and core themes. UNLV DEO is located on the Paradise campus of UNLV. Learn more at edoutreach.unlv.edu
About UNLV
UNLV is a doctoral-degree-granting institution of more than 31,000 students and 3,900 faculty and staff that has earned the nation’s highest recognition for both research and community engagement from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. UNLV offers a broad range of respected academic programs and is committed to recruiting and retaining top students and faculty, educating the region's diverse population and workforce, driving economic activity, and creating an academic health center for Southern Nevada. Learn more at unlv.edu.
About SkillStorm
SkillStorm is building the elite tech force for organizations in need of highly skilled, specialized tech talent. By hiring, upskilling and deploying professionals to work on advanced technologies and platforms such as Pega, Salesforce, and ServiceNow, SkillStorm equips companies with a ready-made domestic tech workforce. An innovation and opportunity accelerator, SkillStorm provides U.S. businesses and government agencies with fully formed and trained teams with all the required experience, skill sets, certifications, and clearances, either directly to its client sites or working from its own delivery centers. Visit SkillStorm.com to learn more.