Colleges Pilot Free Online Reskilling Program

Nine colleges across the United States are piloting a technology-focused career training initiative that aims to prepare 500,000 learners for jobs of the future by 2030. The Verizon Reskilling Program is being led by workforce and education nonprofit JFF, in collaboration with Generation USA, a nonprofit that provides free career training, placement and support, with funding from Verizon. The effort will target people from underrepresented populations and those who do not have a four-year degree.

The colleges will tap into Generation USA's training curricula to offer free programs in web development, IT support, cloud computing and more — all focused on the skills students need for in-demand technology careers. The programs' track record boasts an 80 percent completion rate and 75 percent employment rate for graduates, according to a news announcement.

JFF will work to scale best practices across the colleges, providing staff coaching, evaluating impact and managing a peer learning network.

Currently, the participating institutions are Dallas College, University of the District of Columbia, College of Southern Nevada, Southwest Tennessee Community College, Miami Dade College, Delgado Community College, South Seattle College, Spartanburg Methodist College and Florida Memorial University. JFF plans to expand the initiative to 15 colleges by 2022.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • abstract illustration of a glowing AI-themed bar graph on a dark digital background with circuit patterns

    Stanford 2025 AI Index Reveals Surge in Adoption, Investment, and Global Impact as Trust and Regulation Lag Behind

    Stanford University's Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) has released its AI Index Report 2025, measuring AI's diverse impacts over the past year.

  • modern college building with circuit and brain motifs

    Anthropic Launches Claude for Education

    Anthropic has announced a version of its Claude AI assistant tailored for higher education institutions. Claude for Education "gives academic institutions secure, reliable AI access for their entire community," the company said, to enable colleges and universities to develop and implement AI-enabled approaches across teaching, learning, and administration.

  • lightbulb

    Call for Speakers Now Open for Tech Tactics in Education: Overcoming Roadblocks to Innovation

    The annual virtual conference from the producers of Campus Technology and THE Journal will return on September 25, 2025, with a focus on emerging trends in cybersecurity, data privacy, AI implementation, IT leadership, building resilience, and more.

  • From Fire TV to Signage Stick: University of Utah's Digital Signage Evolution

    Jake Sorensen, who oversees sponsorship and advertising and Student Media in Auxiliary Business Development at the University of Utah, has navigated the digital signage landscape for nearly 15 years. He was managing hundreds of devices on campus that were incompatible with digital signage requirements and needed a solution that was reliable and lowered labor costs. The Amazon Signage Stick, specifically engineered for digital signage applications, gave him the stability and design functionality the University of Utah needed, along with the assurance of long-term support.