CompTIA and ACTE Partner to Close Workforce Gaps in the Technology Industry

Leading Industry Associations Will Collaborate on Programs and Strategies to Accelerate the Delivery of Highly Skilled Talent to the Tech Workforce

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) and the Association for Career & Technical Education® (ACTE) announced  that they will work together on new programs and strategies designed to ready more people for careers in technology occupations.

The partnership brings together two organizations that are leaders in their industries. ACTE is the nation’s largest not-for-profit association committed to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. CompTIA is the leading voice and advocate for the $5.2 trillion global information technology (IT) ecosystem.

“Together we intend to address the tech industry’s current and future needs for high-skilled workers equipped with the classroom training, hands-on experience and professional certifications that prepare them to be strong contributors from day one on the job,” said Amy Kardel, CompTIA’s vice president for strategic workforce relationships.

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“ACTE is thrilled to partner with CompTIA,” said ACTE Executive Director LeAnn Wilson. “The technology workforce is critical to today’s economy, and with this partnership both organizations will help strengthen the talent pipeline and improve learners’ access to key resources. We are grateful to CompTIA for their leadership and look forward to working with them.”

The demand for new technology professionals is high and growing. In Q3 2019 there were nearly 900,000 core IT job postings by employers in the United States, according to data from Burning Glass Technologies’ Labor Insight™ report. That represented 10 percent of all job postings across the country.

Several computer and technology-related jobs – cybersecurity analyst and application software developer, for example are expected to be among the fastest growing occupations over the next decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“One of the key outcomes of the partnership will be the ability to link ACTE instructors and their institutions with CompTIA member companies and individual IT professionals,” Kardel noted.

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In fact, a new report from ACTE finds that over 98 percent of career technical education administrators (principals, superintendents and directors) believe a relationship with industry is “important”‘ or “extremely important,” showcasing the strong desire for meaningful business/industry collaboration to guide the educational outcomes of programs and students.

The ACTE/CompTIA partnership will deliver immediate benefits for students considering a career in technology. CompTIA will help institutions align and integrate their IT career and technical education curriculum to current industry standards and specific job roles. In essence, classroom instruction can be more closely linked to the job roles that employers are looking to fill.

Official CompTIA learning resources – eLearning, books and eBooks, labs and certification exam preparation materials – are available to enhance the chances of student success. Students will also be able to access comprehensive information on career opportunities in technology.

ACTE instructors will have access to CompTIA training materials, including CompTIA IT Fundamentals, a professional certification that serves as an introduction to basic technology knowledge and skills in areas such as operating systems, networks, connectivity, software applications and cybersecurity. Instructors will also be able to join the CompTIA Instructor Network, a global community of educators who prepare students for careers in tech.

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