Queensborough Offers Google IT Support Professional Certificate Program
The Office of Continuing Education and Workforce Development (CEWD) at Queensborough Community College (QCC) will enable students to expand their work opportunities through a new, free online Google IT Support Professional Certificate Program, available to participants as of July 15, 2020, and which can be completed in four to six months.
The five-course program teaches skills needed to start a career in IT support, one of the fastest growing fields in the U.S, and is the result of a collaboration with Google and Jobs for the Future, an initiative that helps ensure that technology-created opportunities are available to everyone. At the culmination of the program, participants will obtain skills needed for entry-level IT support programs, and they can expect a median salary of $53,470 in the workforce. No prior IT experience is needed to enroll.
“We are thrilled to bring Google IT to QCC/CUNY to expand career opportunities for our students and communities. This program is largely asynchronous and consists of self-paced learning,” said Dr. Hui-Yin Hsu, Dean, Office of CEWD at QCC.
The courses will be facilitated with instructional guidance provided by QCC’s Engineering Technology Department chairperson and a Cybersecurity VP from the Technology industry, as well as career support and wraparound services from QCC’s Job Developer and through Google.
“As we continue to build a workforce for tomorrow,” added Hsu, “we not only want to prepare current and future generations to be equipped with the right skills and mindset, but also to rethink and create multiple pathways and stackable credentials for our learners. Students who finish the program can apply for university credits per CUNY’s Credit for Prior Learning Policy.”
Muhammed Zair, 20, recently completed the first week of the six-week long Technical Support Fundamentals course.
“Already I have learned things I’m interested in like how the ASCII system works—part of the binary systems used to build text messages, create emojis and more.”
A Queens resident and computer science major, Zair went on to say that the teacher is personable, shares his own professional story and encourages the students to keep up with their skills.
“I feel as if I am actually in the classroom, not online.”
Zair enrolled at Queensborough in the fall of 2018 after taking an English Language Development course over the summer. He has set his sights on graduating in the summer of 2022, and then plans to pursue a career in the data analysis field.
For now though, he is looking forward to the next phase on how to build PCs.
Supported with funding from Google.org, the program is managed by Jobs for the Future (JFF), with courses delivered by the online learning platform Coursera, Featuring a mix of video lectures, quizzes and hands-on labs and widgets. Students will learn about troubleshooting, customer service, networking, operating systems, system administration, and security. QCC Engineering Technology faculty and Technology industry experts will be available to mentor students as they progress through the Certificate Program. Upon completion, learners will also receive a Google IT Support Professional Certificate badge that they can display on their LinkedIn and other multiple social media profiles.
The five courses leading to the Google IT Professional Certificate badge include:
- Technical Support Fundamentals;
- The Bits and Bytes of Computer Networking;
- Operating Systems and You: Becoming a Power User;
- System Administration and IT Infrastructure Services; and
- IT Security: Defense Against the Digital Dark Arts
Participants can start the program whenever they are ready after July 15th but must complete it by December 31, 2020.
- https://tinyurl.com/y69939cx
- To learn more, visit: qcc.cuny.edu/contEd/google-it.html
- Questions? Contact: Jason Bhimani at JBhimani@qcc.cuny.edu
The Office of Continuing Education and Workforce Development at Queensborough Community College is an educational resource for the community, providing accessible and quality programming for students seeking to enrich their personal lives, advance academic skills, or develop professional careers. For more information about upcoming courses or questions, contact Jason Bhimani, Program Coordinator, at 347-494-0273 or JBhimani@qcc.cuny.edu.
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