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Charlottean Bill Sykes has been looking for work since losing his bank job a year ago. Now he's getting some help.
Sykes is one of the first N.C. participants in a new job training program offered by Microsoft that will offer free technology training to 23,700 people across the state.
"This partnership will provide North Carolinians with another opportunity to retrain for today's new economy," Gov. Bev Perdue said Thursday.
Perdue, announcing the partnership to city and county officials at Central Piedmont Community College's Harris campus, praised the company for making North Carolina the eighth state to offer the Elevate America program with the giant software company.
Microsoft plans to offer a total of 1 million training vouchers across the country. In North Carolina, the company will work with community colleges and state agencies to distribute more than 23,000 in the next 90 days.
Each voucher is good for free online training in computer skills in programs such as PowerPoint, Excel and Access. Some advanced technical training is available in areas such as Web development and database management. Some of the vouchers can be used for free Microsoft Certification exams.
"Technology is a required skill," said Gail Thomas, a Microsoft vice president.
Neither company nor state officials could say how much Microsoft is investing in the N.C. program. A company spokesman said it depends on the number of vouchers redeemed.
Sykes is ready to use his right away.
Sykes, 63, said the program will allow him to update his skills. "What it will do," he said, "is augment skills I already have by giving me more in-depth training to be a more marketable commodity."
Perdue called the partnership "another nail in the successful house we're building in technology." She alluded to efforts the state also is making with federal stimulus money such as the $1.4 million announced Wednesday in grants to small businesses in "green" technology, including three in the Charlotte area.
"We are focused like a laser on Charlotte and the recovery initiatives here," she said.
