The program is open to students who did not graduate from JU, but alumni of the school will have a preference in the application process.
During the 12-week training course, the company pays students $20 to $25 an hour, with wages rising to between $30 and $45 an hour once the student enters the workforce. The classes done in partnership with JU kick off in November, with the goal of scaling up to four classes of 25 students every 12 weeks.
The company has already trained 100 students — 25 of them veterans — and has cohorts in training that should wrap up by the end of the year.
“We’ve got a very aggressive target in terms of training and deploying resources in the next three years,” the CEO said. “We want to deploy and train 3000 people, and obviously we want to make sure that next year is a very, very strong start to that.”
Last month, SkillStorm relocated its headquarters from Fort Lauderdale to Jacksonville, a move Vianello said positions the company for growth, both on the First Coast and throughout the Southeast.
“When we looked at some of the larger employers here — like FIS, like Florida Blue — we didn’t feel there was anyone in this space, partnering with the universities and being able to provide a broad-based technology solution at scale,” he said.
The area benefits from proximity to Orlando, where companies like Lockheed Martin Corp. have an ongoing need for trained technology workers, and places like Charlotte, where SkillStorm has a large office.
Although students who go through the program can get jobs elsewhere, JU’s goal is to keep them here.
