HOPE is REAL!

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Friday, February 3, 2012

HOPE is REAL!


The H.O.P.E. Project, aka the "Harvard of the Hood" addresses high unemployment in Washington, DC offering a technology training program to residents of the poorest Ward in the city. Over 150 young people attended the information session and town hall on jobs that followed. This very unique unfunded IT training program prepares socially and economically disadvantaged young adults for help desk careers with an average student starting salary of $37,500. Several students have accepted offers of $40,000 per year or more. The highest student starting salary is $47,500 per year.

The jobless rate in the poorest part of the District of Columbia is higher than in any U.S. metropolitan area with a labor-force of comparable size, according to figures released by the city government.

Unemployment in the district’s Ward 8 climbed to 28.2 percent in June 2011. Ward 8 now has a bright light called the H.O.P.E. Project. The program is turning Ward 8 residents from TANF recipients into $40,000 a year help desk analysts.

This ground breaking program has existed for three years without any federal, city or corporate funding. The program is 100 percent volunteer. Although a volunteer program, the H.O.P.E. Project has produced success rates unmatched in the Washington metropolitan area. The H.O.P.E. Project’s brand is so popular that the program holds just two information sessions a year to fill 16 slots. This year’s information sessions drew 209 young adults. The information sessions were held at the 7th District Police Station and Matthew Memorial Baptist Church.

The program is the recruiting ground for many of the top information technology staffing companies in the Washington, DC area and firms from Florida and Texas have partnered with the H.O.P.E. Project. Additionally, several technology firms have recruited and hired H.O.P.E. Project students, including Competitive Innovations, MIL Corporation, MMC Group, RCG Inc. and Battelle. Competitive Innovations donated SharePoint training vouchers and exam manuals. The program boasts an amazing record of 100 percent pass rate for the CompTIA A+ exam. Several students have earned multiple certifications since graduating.

In December 2011, four students interviewed with MIL Corporation to fill several Customer Support Analyst positions. All four students were offered positions. They are currently going through the clearance process. The program has become so popular because of the success of the participants one student relocated from Greensboro, North Carolina after hearing about the program.

The H.O.P.E. Project is in partnership with Share Tech Solutions, an HUB Zone information technology company, to staff and manage their 24/7 helpdesk and call center operation. The Share Tech Solutions partnership will give new students the opportunity to earn income and gain valuable helpdesk experience right away.

The 2012 H.O.P.E. Project class has set several program records, including the fastest class to have a student land a help desk position and the most students from a single class to accept an information technology position before graduation. To date, 14 students have accepted offers of employment. The class currently has 18 students, only 2 were employed when the program started.

The H.O.P.E. Project class meets Tuesday and Thursday evenings and one Saturday each month. The program is a 9 month commitment. The program has very strict attendance policies. Several students have perfect attendance and no student has missed more than 3 days since the program began in September 2011. The 2012 class graduates in June. The 18 students are expected to graduate with their CompTIA A+ certification and be employed as a help desk professional.

The H.O.P.E. is an information technology career training program that prepares socially and economically disadvantaged young people for rewarding careers as help desk professionals. Visit the website www.hopeprojectdc.org.

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