ServiceNow, a software company, is one of the businesses that partnered with Arizona State University’s AZNext program, which is grant-funded through the U.S. Department of Labor.
A partnership between Arizona State University, various businesses and the federal government is hoping to give job seekers a look at potential careers starting again early next year.
In January, ASU is offering job training through the AZNext program, a grant-funded effort through the U.S. Department of Labor, said Rob Buelow, program director at W. P. Carey Information Systems at ASU.
The majority of classes are “built around” a certification of some kind, not college credit, Buelow said.
All the classes through AZNext are free. Some courses, such as apprenticeships, give participants a path to work directly with employers.
Participants don’t have to be enrolled at ASU.
Courses range from two days to two years, and participants must have a high school diploma or GED and be 17 or older, Buelow said.
Part of the training is meant to fill gaps in the technology field. Educators are faced with the challenge of addressing industry shortages of both engineers and technicians.
In Phoenix, companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. are looking for skilled labor.
Now, AZNext offers courses such as introduction to cybersecurity, intro to robotics and a course in advanced manufacturing, Buelow said.
As of Dec. 1, AZNext had about 1,000 individuals who completed one of the programs.
ServiceNow, a California-based software company, is one business that partnered with ASU. Participants who work with ServiceNow can get trained to be a system administrator to help set up tasks such as managing IT infrastructure through artificial intelligence, said Amy Regan Morehouse, senior vice president of global education at ServiceNow.
System administrators can customize the artificial intelligence platform to fit a specific business such as logging a ticket to fix a computer problem, Regan Morehouse said.
The artificial intelligence can include different prompts to help users answer the question themselves by typing in a question in the search bar, she said.
“(...It depends) how they want to use it in their business,” Regan Morehouse said.
At ASU, the $10 million grant-funded AZNext program runs through 2025.
But Buelow said officials are working to find other funding sources to keep the program going.
For information, visit https://aznext.pipelineaz.com or https://bit.ly/47XYXab to apply.
Brent Ruffner Lead News Reporter | Daily Independent
Journalism has fascinated Brent Ruffner since junior high school.
Since 2001, his stories have been published in newspapers from the Albuquerque to the Arizona and he has always had a knack for making sure his facts are right and his words are to the point.
Growing up, Brent watched as sports reporters covered his beloved Phoenix Suns, a team he followed since Charles Barkley first arrived in Phoenix via trade in 1992. Sports reporting was a dream back then.
But after gaining some writing experience, Brent found a love for news instead of covering different types of sports. In 2008, he moved to New Mexico and covered crime, schools and city beats all while holding elected officials accountable.
He covered stories that ranged from a DEA drug bust gone bad to an award-winning story on school lunches.
In Arizona, Brent was a freelance writer who covered everything from the importance of citrus in the state to Esteban owning a store in downtown Prescott.
Brent is a 2007 graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
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