The Advocate
BATON ROUGE — Job seekers, some of whom are reinventing their career prospects amid the economic disruption of COVID-19, now have another option for learning new job skills: digital coursework and assistance from Baton Rouge Community College, the BRCC Foundation and IBM, a news release said.
The project is supported by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. Individuals and employers interested in registering for the training, can visit mybrcc.edu/skillsbuildregistration for information.
The program taps into IBM’s no-cost online SkillsBuild career readiness platform, which provides accredited learning content from IBM, along with career development coaching from local experts at no cost to learners.
SkillsBuild provides job seekers — including those returning to work after leave or those changing professions — with accredited digital learning content from IBM and partners. Users receive personalized coaching and practical learning experience, as well as foundational knowledge about digital technologies and professional workplace skills to help them reenter the workforce. These skills can be useful for the growing number of “new collar” jobs — roles that don’t require traditional, four-year college degrees, such as a web developer, cybersecurity expert, customer service specialist, systems administrator, project manager or data analyst.
SkillsBuild offers accredited badges to certify learning, so potential employers can trust the candidate’s education quality. It also provides users the opportunity to put their learning into practice, so they can build their portfolio and demonstrate proficiencies. SkillsBuild uses the same cognitive learning platform that IBM employees use to personalize, track and complete the continuing education experience.
The city-parish is working closely with BRCC and IBM in efforts to engage job seekers and individuals who are looking to improve their employment outlook and job skills.
Job seekers can tap into tech and non-tech job referral networks; gain practical experience with hands-on projects; learn about workplace trends; brush up on professional skills such as resume-writing, time management, communication and collaboration.