The CompTIA Educational Foundation, which since 1998 has been helping unemployed and other at-risk individuals find careers in information technology, has a new name: the Creating IT Futures Foundation.
The new name will help to distinguish the Foundation from other continuing education and educational programs within CompTIA, while also positioning the Foundation to reach a wider donor base.
As it pondered a new name, the Foundation’s Board of Directors considered the essence of what the organization accomplishes.
“One of our clients recently wrote a letter to us in which she flat-out stated, ‘Your organization created my future,’” said Charles Eaton, executive director of the foundation. “The board members really took that claim seriously. Creating Futures had been a program name for a long time, but we decided to elevate it to the name of our organization. It’s at the heart of what we do for our candidates who, for a number of reasons, don’t see many options for their working futures.”
Placing “IT” in the center of the name identifies that information technology is where the Foundation sees the best career opportunity for candidates, Eaton said.
“Few industries have as much need for workers and offer as much growth potential in the 21st century as the IT field,” said Eaton, a self-professed “gadget geek” who previously worked for the Consumer Electronics Association.
The name change comes as the Foundation also is revamping its program for helping candidates become trained, certified and placed in IT jobs that can lead to careers. Programming will emphasize meeting employer needs for workers right from the start and will include a six-month apprenticeship as a way to test the candidate’s fit with the company.
The Foundation solicits contributions from individuals, grant-making bodies and IT industry companies. Individuals and companies wishing to support the Foundation and help more at-risk individuals to find success in the IT industry can make contributions online at www.creatingITfutures.org. Get connected at the Foundation’s new Facebook page and Twitter site.
