MakeIt Haverhill will add a new cybersecurity certification course for young adults later this fall.
Founder Keith Boucher told Haverhill city councilors this week the nonprofit recently partnered with CyberWarrior for a new IT certification program for job seekers.
“They work on cybersecurity which is an up-and-coming opportunity for the IT industry,” adding “Working with them and working with the Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board, together we were able to get a grant to go off and do some training for people that have a GED or a high school graduation, that type of thing.”
He said the program is available for unemployed adults ages 18 to 24 who have a high school diploma or equivalent credentials. “What they end up getting is a five-month course, this is a paid opportunity…By the time it’s all over they’ll have [a] Microsoft Azure certification.”
Boucher says MakeIT Haverhill seeks eight to 10 people who are unemployed and either receiving government assistance or are learning English as a second language.
“We focused for the last five years on English language learners, we focused on digital literacy and equity and focused on workforce development. Our whole mission and life being here in Haverhill is family financial stability…There’s so many in Haverhill that don’t have that.”
He later added, “It’s all part of We Owe It, or the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act…They have to be, for lack of a better word, in a certain area of need.”
Boucher says the goal is to recruit and “case manage” each participant through the whole process. “There will be two classes a week from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. I believe one will be online and one will be happening at MakeIT Haverhill,” he said.
He added, “When people get done with this and have maybe two or three years in, we’re talking six figure salaries.”
Council Vice President Timothy J. Jordan praised the organization’s work. “It really is fantastic what all of you are doing at MakeIT Haverhill.”
Boucher encouraged interested residents to call MakeIt Haverhill at 978-377-0187 or email [email protected].