PROVIDENCE – Tech Force Rhode Island has launched the website techforceri.org to help unemployed Rhode Islanders find jobs in the high-demand information technology industry.
The website is one component of a $7.5 million federal Department of Labor Ready to Work Partnership grant awarded in October 2014 to Workforce Solutions of Providence/Cranston and partnering agencies Workforce Partnership of Greater Rhode Island and Tech Collective.
According to Tech Collective, the state’s information technology and bioscience industry association, the website will serve as a hub for job seekers and employers. Job applications can be submitted to the website, where information about Tech Force programs and services also can be found.
Tech Force funding has been awarded through October 2018; during that time, 476 individuals are expected to receive services.
“I talk to companies every day about Rhode Island. The No. 1 thing that executives tell me is that they need access to a skilled workforce. Tech Force RI is an innovative workforce development investment that promises to address this need. It will help long-term unemployed and underemployed workers build skills in well-paying IT jobs, and it will help employers gain access to trained workers and compete, grow and succeed,” Gov. Gina M. Raimondo said in a statement.
According to information from Tech Collective, Tech Force serves Rhode Island’s long-term unemployed and underemployed through three rapid reemployment strategies: work-readiness training, short- or long-term skills training and combined technical and business skills training. One-on-one job coaching and job placement assistance also is included.
IT, according to Tech Collective, is one of the fastest-growing and highest-paying industries in Rhode Island and nationally. Statewide, the average IT salary is $79,226 annually, nearly double the average private sector wage.
Said Robert Ricci, administrator of Workforce Solutions of Providence/Cranston, “Tech Force RI will help equip those who are interested in building upon their existing skills to better prepare them for these high demand jobs that are readily available.”
