New Horizons' Groundbreaking Women in Tech Program Celebrates 2021 Graduates

MIAMI, Dec. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Leading IT education provider New Horizons South Florida was proud to host a graduation celebration for the 2021 class of its groundbreaking Women in Technology program. Organized in partnership with YWCA South Florida, The Carrie Meek Foundation, and CareerSource South Florida, the ceremony was held on December 9th both online and in-person at CIC Miami.

Now in its third year, the innovative "Women in Tech" program provides certification-based training for women, helping them advance their careers in the burgeoning South Florida IT sector.

"We are particularly proud of this year's "Women in Tech" graduating class," said Charlene Pou, New Horizons South Florida Executive Director. "There is an urgent need for female and minority representation in the Miami tech industry, and our program was created specifically to address this void. I am incredibly excited that the graduates will have a wonderful opportunity to pursue well-paying careers at top tech companies across South Florida and beyond."

More than half of the 2021 program graduates have already secured jobs and internships at such companies as Amadeus, Invizio, and Opticaltel. In the coming weeks, New Horizons, CareerSource, and the YWCA will continue to work with their network of local employers to help secure paid internships and permanent job placement for remaining graduates.

Nicole Herring, a Miami native and "Women in Tech" class of 2021 valedictorian stated: "The 'Women in Tech' program has been a life-changing experience. Finding my passion for IT and realizing there was no one around who looked like me to help me navigate the challenges of starting a new career in this field has been eye-opening. I now understand that 'Women in Tech' is revolutionizing the IT field so that young ladies who decide to design and build communication networks can use me as a guide. The next step is to use the skills and knowledge that we have obtained to impact the IT world."

Prior to joining the "Women in Tech" program, Herring, 36, had already earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and criminal justice and a masters' degree in human resources. However, the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for Herring to start a career in those fields. That's when she turned to "Women in Tech," an intensive 16-week certification training program that covers industry-recognized certifications from CompTIA and Microsoft. As the result of this program, Herring was able to secure a paid internship with Amadeus, one of the top ten technology providers for the global travel industry.

Herring added: "The IT field is vast and has so many career opportunities to offer. But we too have so much to offer an industry that encompasses so few of us women."

Other speakers who gave moving remarks at the graduation ceremony included:

• Kerry-Ann Royce, CEO, YWCA South Florida
• Amadeus Robert Ortiz, Head of People and Culture for the Americas Region
• Rick Beasley, Executive Director at Workforce Investment Board, CareerSource South Florida
• Elise Scheck-Bonwitt, author, speaker, and attorney
• Rosa Marrero, Lead Instructor, Women in Technology Program, New Horizons South Florida
• Evangeline Sanchez, "Women in Tech" graduate

For those interested in jump-starting their career in IT, New Horizons South Florida is currently taking applications for the cohort of spring 2022. For more information, please contact New Horizons by filling out this contact form.

About New Horizons South Florida
New Horizons South Florida provides innovative certification training for industry and life-long learners. Our IT and Business Training solutions combine the resources of a large IT training company with the responsiveness of a local partner. From startups to global enterprises, New Horizons skills up current workforces while launching career paths of students. We stay connected throughout our students' career journey from enrollment through graduation, job placement to career advancement. Offering the latest in technology training, we are certified as a Microsoft Partner with a Gold Learning competency, Citrix Authorized Learning Center, Cisco Partner for Platinum Learning Solutions, AWS Training Partner, CompTIA Authorized Platinum Partner, and VMware Authorized Training Center. For more information, visit http://www.nhflorida.com.

Media Contact

Vlad Drazdovich, New Horizons South Florida, 954-379-2115 x 105, [email protected]

SOURCE New Horizons South Florida