CompTIA Newsroom

No Cost to Students; Applications Due by March 29

Charlotte, N.C. — After a successful year of IT-Ready Technical Support classes in Charlotte, preparing new tech workers for help desk jobs and future careers in networking and cybersecurity, Creating IT Futures is bringing its free IT-Ready QA software testing class to Charlotte. With funding from TEKsystems and supported by a grant from Google.org to Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, as well as partnerships with Charlotte Works and Wounded Warrior Project, IT-Ready QA will be held at the Goodwill Opportunity Campus.  

Taught over eight weeks in a classroom, students in IT-Ready QA will learn the foundational skills to become a software tester. By graduation, students will understand what’s required to test and support software throughout its life cycle, principles of test design, risk management, agile development, and identifying best practices for mobile software testing. Students also will get instruction in project management.

“Software testing is a critical part of today’s software development industry. Careful destruction of software can be just as valuable as brilliant creation, and in our software testing curriculum, students will learn the best practices for breaking software and squashing bugs,” said Charles Eaton, CEO, Creating IT Futures.

Beyond the classroom experience, Creating IT Futures staff work with graduates to connect them to local employers. Nationally, 88 percent of IT-Ready students graduate, and 86 percent get placed in full-time tech jobs.

Students who successfully complete the IT-Ready QA class will obtain certifications that prove working knowledge of software testing and will be uniquely prepared to take on an entry-level position as a software QA analyst or automation engineer. Students train and test for the following industry certifications:

• Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL)
• Certified Tester Foundation Level Agile Tester (CTFL-AT)
• Certified Mobile Tester
• CompTIA Project+

Students also receive targeted professional development in key business “soft” skills such as professional communication and presentation, teamwork and collaboration, and critical thinking and problem solving.

All IT-Ready courses are underwritten by grants and financial donations, so that students can attend classes for free. To demonstrate their commitment to the training and pursuing an IT career, students are allowed only one absence and two late days during the program. Prior knowledge of computers and a familiarity with various software packages is preferred, but a college degree is not required. IT-Ready students receive free tuition, books and learning materials, more than 240 hours of classroom tech and soft skills training, and certification vouchers. 

The IT-Ready QA class in Charlotte starts April 29 and runs through June 21 and is held from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every weekday. Applications are due by March 29. Apply at www.creatingitifutures.org/apply.

Employers who wish to hire IT-Ready graduates should contact Natasha Pender at [email protected].

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About Creating IT Futures 
Founded in 1998 by CompTIA, Creating IT Futures is a 501(c)(3) charity with the mission of helping populations under-represented in the information technology industry and individuals who are lacking in opportunity to prepare for, secure, and be successful in IT careers. Learn more at www.creatingITfutures.org. 

Media Contact:
Lisa Fasold       
Creating IT Futures           
630-678-8558                     
[email protected]