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DriveIT Aims to Fill IT Skills Gap Through Unique Training Sessions

The University of Akron's new degree will feature classes in mathematics, decoding, and detecting illegal hacking.
SHUTTERSTOCK
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SHUTTERSTOCK
The University of Akron's new degree will feature classes in mathematics, decoding, and detecting illegal hacking.
The University of Akron's new degree will feature classes in mathematics, decoding, and detecting illegal hacking.
Credit SHUTTERSTOCK / SHUTTERSTOCK
/
SHUTTERSTOCK
DriveIT hopes to bring new skills to IT workers in the Akron area.

An Akron startup is looking to boost the skills of local tech employees.

DriveIT co-founder Ian Schwarber says the company will offer face-to-face courses ranging from data science and programming to classes on team management and business intelligence taught by local professionals.

Schwarber likens it to a full-circuit workout that can help employees broaden their skill sets. He refers to the workspace as a "gym" and calls the individual sessions "workouts."

A lot of these people would prefer to move through the IT network space and go from a developer of software today to a database administrator tomorrow or move into being a data scientist. What we offer at our gym are these pathways where people can move much more horizontally, and they can build cybersecurity, data science, business intelligence into their skillset.

Just like a gym membership, companies can pay a yearly fee to access updated training courses.

Ian Schwarber talks about DriveIT's "gym" analogy.

Schwarber says the program is trying to fill a widening  IT skills gap  in Ohio. He says workers can oftentimes plateau because training methods such as hiring consultants or attending large-scale conferences may not help employees retain skills.

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DriveIT Aims to Fill IT Skills Gap Through Unique Training Sessions

Lucas is a senior majoring in both economics and finance from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Prior to this internship at WKSU, he interned at the Lake County Ohio Port and Economic Development Authority as a research intern. He currently serves as the opinion editor for The Kent Stater. Along the way, he’s also held several jobs within Kent State, from working as a tour guide to conducting research with professors in the economics department at the university.