Matt Swanston Posts

“Shall we play a game?”  asked a young Matthew Broderick’s computer in the 1983 hit movie War Games.  The computer’s creepy synthetic voice and the underlying current of the Cold War conveyed the seriousness of this seemingly innocent question.  Three decades later, CompTIA – the leading IT trade association – is asking the same question.  And while the stakes aren’t as high as global thermonuclear war, to the small business owners wh ...

Last week, we blogged about our Getting America Back To Work program.  Here is a bit more information on how to get involved if you’re an individual who is interested in pursuing a career in IT.Your first step is to find the nearest One-Stop Career Center to by going to http://www.servicelocator.org/. If your One-Stop Career Center is unfamiliar with the Program refer them to http://www.comptia.org/certifications/backtowork.aspx to find technical assessment tools, CompTIA certification training ...

CompTIA launched today a new initiative aimed at boosting high-tech employment opportunities. CompTIA’s Getting America Back to Work initiative will assist local Workforce Investment Boards across the country and their “One-Stop Centers” to help individuals with adequate technical aptitude gain the training and certifications needed to secure IT jobs. The program is designed to streamline the process that Workforce Investment Boards and One-Stop Centers use to place unemployed individuals, caree ...

Several high schools, community colleges and universities touted their tech career curricula during October, highlighting the incorporation of CompTIA certification exams into their programs.Villanova University launched a new program in information security management targeted at government workers. The master certificate program incorporates skill areas contained in the latest CompTIA Security+ exam. (Villanova University Unveils New Online Government IS Security Program, Reuters, Oct. 1, 2009 ...

An Oct. 21 news release announced the worldwide availability of the CompTIA Strata IT Technology exam, which measures an individual’s knowledge of basic IT terminology and technology. The release was carried by more than 30 media outlets, including the Dallas Morning News and MarketWatch.com. ...

The CompTIA Industry Mentors Program was highlighted in a story from eChannelLine, a media outlet that covers IT channel business in North America. The story noted that the program offers CompTIA members access to a panel of experts who can answer tough questions that have a daily impact on business operations and success. (CompTIA unwraps new member resources, eChannelLine, Oct. 1, 2009) Other stories on the program were published by dBusinessNews Chicago and Certification Magazine. ...

CompTIA executives participated in several media interviews in October to get the word out about career opportunities in the IT industry.During a media tour to Washington, D.C., Todd Thibodeaux spoke with Washington Times tech writer Mark Kellner and delivered the message that there are tech jobs to be had by workers with the right skill sets. "Other than health care, information technology has more jobs open than any other sector," he said. (KELLNER: Technology sector hiring, expanding, Washing ...

The new CompTIA Business Confidence Index (BCI) continued to gain traction with the media as a reliable indicator of industry activity. The CompTIA BCI was referenced in trend stories in InformationWeek, Insurance Networking News and IT Chanel Planet. ...

CompTIA Board of Directors member Lester Keizer, CEO of Connecting Point Las Vegas, was quoted in an Oct. 26 USA Today business section story on hiring trends. Lester told the reporter that he plans to hire up to five employees in the next two months at his two Las Vegas firms that now employ 41. (More companies plan to hire rather than cut workers, USA Today, Oct. 26, 2009)

As U.S. lawmakers debate changes in the nation’s healthcare system, CompTIA representatives are focused on the role of information technology in the delivery of healthcare. H.R. 3014, which passed the House on November 18th, would allow the SBA to guarantee loans up to 90% for the acquisition of HIT systems by small business health practitioners.  The maximum loan amount is the lesser of $350,000 for any single qualified eligible professional, or $2,000,000 with respect to a single gr ...