WSU Tech Expands Partnership with SkillStorm to Enhance Tech Degree Program and Workforce Readiness

SkillStorm and WSU Tech’s strategic expansion bridges higher education and the workforce by expanding access to key professional certifications as credit toward tech-oriented degree programs.

JACKSONVILLE, FL; August 28, 2024 — SkillStorm today announced the expansion of its partnership with Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech) to connect degree-seeking students with today’s most in-demand certifications. Following the successful launch of the program this past spring, SkillStorm and WSU Tech are broadening the Midwest’s tech talent pipeline and ensuring students graduate with the skills they need to successfully enter—and remain competitive in—the region’s exploding tech industry.

“Expanding our partnership with SkillStorm allows WSU Tech to provide students with critical certifications that directly align with industry needs,” said Dr. Sheree Utash, President of WSU Tech. “This initiative ensures our graduates are equipped to excel in the rapidly growing IT sector and meet the demands of today's and tomorrow’s workforce.”

WSU Tech joins a network of colleges and universities who have partnered with SkillStorm to bring industry relevant certifications to their campus. Starting in the fall semester, WSU Tech will embed SkillStorm’s training platform into its two-year IT curriculum, which will both strengthen the value of the degree program and prepare students for credentials in AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner. With this 100% remote and instructor-led certification program, students will receive in-demand skills needed by employers in the state and region.

"Having the added Skillstorm training along with the amazing instructors at WSU Tech is an awesome experience,” said Erin Slater, IT student at WSU Tech. “It has prepared me for certifications and will bring an advantage to my future career in IT.”

Looking forward, WSU Tech looks to create non-credit opportunities in collaboration with local workforce boards and co-develop strategies with WSU’s four year system to embed more advanced certifications into degree programs including the AWS Associate Solutions Architect.

“In today’s competitive job market, a degree alone is often not enough; employers want to see validated skills through certifications that align with their tech stacks,” said Joe Mitchell, COO of SkillStorm. “By integrating industry-recognized certifications alongside or into accredited degrees, we ensure that tech career-seekers are job-ready and well-positioned to secure meaningful employment and economic mobility in the growing and competitive tech market.”

Kansas’ tech sector—which is already a hub for aerospace and defense, advanced manufacturing, and agricultural technology—is expected to see 25% growth by 2026. Recent data show more than 70,000 jobs in software development, programming, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies like AI generated by Kansas’ tech industry pay double the median state wage, making it an attractive industry for job-seekers. Major employers including Google, HP, and Amazon have settled in the American Midwest alongside hundreds of startups and incubators, driving multi-industry demand for highly-skilled technologists.

For more information or to enroll in a course, visit www.WSUTECH.edu.

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About SkillStorm

SkillStorm is bringing together Fortune 500 employers, universities, and government agencies to build tomorrow’s highly skilled tech workforce. Through partnerships with platforms like Salesforce, AWS, ServiceNow, CompTIA, and Microsoft, we help working learners and aspiring tech experts build in-demand skills and earn industry-recognized certifications to compete in an increasingly dynamic economy. Our work is rooted in the belief that closing skill gaps and boosting economic mobility are two sides of the same coin, and that new approaches to training can help to both expand the pool of skilled tech talent and create new pathways to opportunity.

About WSU Tech
As Wichita State University's Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology, WSU Tech stands at the forefront of modern technical education in Kansas, offering over 100 degree and certificate options. These programs cover critical fields such as aviation, health care, manufacturing, design, information technology, police science, culinary arts, business, and more. WSU Tech operates four campuses and serves as the managing partner of the National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT) in Wichita, KS—a city known for its high concentration of STEM jobs.

In 2018, Wichita State University, Kansas' urban public research hub, affiliated with WSU Tech, enhancing the institution's student-centered focus and aligning with Wichita State's dedication to innovation and applied learning. This partnership has created a comprehensive educational environment that supports student achievement and meets the evolving needs of industries in the urban heart of Kansas and beyond.

Accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and as a Kansas Board of Regents institution, WSU Tech upholds high academic standards and equips students with the skills necessary for lifelong success and career readiness.

For more information on how WSU Tech shapes the future of technical education and contributes to the workforce in Kansas and beyond, please visit www.WSUTECH.edu.

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