Winston-Salem State University recently received a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, which it will use to encourage poor students to pursue careers in IT and computer science fields, the Business Journal reports.
According to the news provider, the grants were awarded through the foundation's Advancing Computing Education through Synergistic Support program. The program enables students who come from economically disadvantaged households to receive mentoring, scholarships and other support in computer-related fields.
The number of IT jobs are expected to increase for the foreseeable future, as companies continue to seek personnel to support emerging technology. Job-seekers can help their chances of getting hired by demonstrating a knowledge of modern workplace technology, such as a computer, a server or a
DLP projector.
"Our efforts are aimed at increasing the number of highly trained, underrepresented computing professionals, as well as developing a new generation of computer science and information technology leaders and researchers," said Elva Jones, chair of the WSSU Department of Computer Science.
IT experience has become a valuable tool for job hunters in recent years. For this reason, nonprofit Tech Collective recently launched a training program for Rhode Islanders to learn a variety of IT and job interview skills.
