Information Technology

You CAN have a career in Information Technology (IT) or Business Services without a college education! Goodwill Columbus offers two fully-funded paths: CompTIA A+, and the Google IT Support Professional Certificate. Schedule a call to start the process today!

Here’s how they work:

CompTIA A+ Certification Prep Class:

This program is fully-funded by the US Department of Labor (DOL) and is offered at no cost to students aged 17-29 from Franklin or Madison county.

Why CompTIA Certification Prep Class at Goodwill?

Goodwill applied for the DOL grant in response to the critical shortage of certified IT professionals in our country, and to help fulfill our promise to the community to get more people on the path to living wage, professional employment with fantastic opportunities for continual advancement. Basically, it was a great use of our facilities and resources.
CompTIA A+ is an essential foundation for a career in IT. The A+ certification is recognized and used worldwide by companies such as Dell, Canon and the U.S. Department of Defense. The CompTIA IT Certification is a building block for further IT certifications.
In the CompTIA A+ class, students learn about the hardware and operating systems of phones, tablets, laptops, desktops and servers through in a professional classroom setting.
There are two schedules from which students can choose:
- Day classes: 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday for eight weeks, and
- Night Classes: 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday for 12 weeks
- At the end of the class, Goodwill will cover the cost of the certification test, a value of approximately $200. The value of the entire program in in excess of $1,000 and again, if offered at no cost to students thanks to a DOL grant.
- During the course, students will be introduced to potential employers. Those who obtain and maintain employment for six months after course completion are eligible to take additional more advances IT classes from Goodwill.

For more information about the CompTIA track, call or text 614.344.8372 or email TechInfo@gwcols.com

Google IT Support Professional

This program is supported by Google scholarships and a combination of other private and public funding. It is also offered at no cost to all students who have not yet completed a bachelors (or higher) degree and is designed to prepare you to start a career in IT.

This program was also created in response to the critical shortage of certified IT professionals in our country, and to help fulfill Goodwill’s promise to the community to get more people on the path to living wage, professional employment.

Why Google IT Support Professional at Goodwill?

Google IT support is new credential to the industry, and classes will teach students about 6 core content ideas like security, automation, and IT fundamentals.
This six-course certificate program – a dynamic mix of video lectures and hands-on labs—can help you start your career in IT in an entry-level role in IT support.
In the course, students will learn about customer service, networking, operating systems, systems administration, automation and security and troubleshooting .
This self-paced online course takes two to nine months to complete and can be done at the student’s own pace.
At any time during this course, students can also take advantage of the other no-cost career building services at Goodwill Columbus like Career Bootcamp to learn the essentials to job seeking success, resume building and other core office skills classes.

For more informaton about the Google IT Support Professional track, call or text 614.344.8372 or email TechInfo@gwcols.com

Meet Cory, Careers In Technology Graduate

Goodwill Columbus is incredibly fortunate to be one of three Goodwill sites selected nationwide to facilitate a U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA) TechHire grant. The $1.03 million awarded to Goodwill Columbus will provide computer programmer and support specialist training to more than 200 at-risk and disadvantaged Central Ohioans aged 17-29 who want to enter the Information Technology field. Goodwills in Austin, Texas, and Roanoke, Virginia, were also awarded TechHire grants and together the three states will serve 702 individuals.

A success story continually in progress, Cory, now 28, moved to Columbus at the age of 22 to live with his mom and step-dad when Cory lost his housing in his home state of Minnesota. Sadly, his mom passed away shortly thereafter, and then his step-dad lost his landscaping position. An awful situation was made worse when Cory’s beloved cat died.

An associate at a Goodwill Columbus retail location, Cory, who is very shy and reserved and not one to share his problems openly, was under a tremendous amount of pressure to keep a roof over everyone’s head and was pulling as many hours as possible at Goodwill to keep his small family housed and fed. Sometimes, staying afloat meant making hard decisions about what to pay for, and with rent at the top of the list, he and his step-dad spent a good part of the winter without heat. Cory, who has always had an interest in and aptitude for electronics, knew he needed to get on a better path. Through in-store advertising he heard while working at Goodwill, he learned about the nonprofit’s workforce development program offerings. Reaching out was hard for Cory, but he did it.

After talking with several Workforce Development career counselors, Cory settled on the Tech Hire initiative, where disadvantaged youth can learn help desk support and earn certifications in the field. Cory tested into the class and did exceptionally well in the eight-week course. When it came time to take the certification tests – the 901 and the 902 - Cory passed on the first try. Make no mistake, these tests are challenging, and it was hard for Cory to find the time to study, but he did because he knew THIS was the path to a better future.

After he received his certifications, Cory was selected for a paid two-week internship in IT with Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. Cory performed so well that his manager, Dave, extended his internship status to “indefinite” in the hopes that Cory will continue to learn and grow in this professional IT department and learn enough to earn a permanent position. Cory is continually supported by Goodwill Workforce Development staff on his new path and we can’t wait to see what the next chapter will bring for this dedicated and hardworking young man.