Wake Tech Community College has received a National Science Foundation grant to expand its cloud infrastructure associate degree program.
The college will work with web development company Red Hat to make a four-month professional certificate IT program and a student internship program. The program will teach students to work with Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system.
Wake Tech cloud infrastructure instructor Jeff Banham was on the team that applied for the grant.
"This is an exploding marketplace," he said. "Our industry partners need lots of technicians and employees who understand and have those skills."
Banham said the funding will help faculty get professional development opportunities, and grow relationships with the business community.
According to Wake Tech, Students who complete the certification exam will be offered support and resources through Red Ha. They will also have opportunities for credit in a Wake Tech degree program.
"We're extremely excited to work with Red Hat on this program," said Wake Tech President Dr. Scott Ralls, "because the skills this training provides are absolutely vital to our region. The Triangle is known for its outstanding tech companies, and we know those companies must have a highly-skilled workforce to grow and thrive."