35 Microsoft IT Academies in operation

PJ collaborates with schools to teach dangers of the Net

Since launching the IT Academy initiative, more than a year ago, in a more consistent way, Microsoft has already registered the interest of 35 institutions in setting up such a training and certification structure in their educational establishment.

In conversation with TeK, Adelaide Franco, responsible for education projects at Microsoft, explains that not all registered academies are already in operation. Normally, after registration, it is necessary to create the conditions in schools to operationalize the structure and start a business plan that details the form and content of the project.

In most cases, it has also been necessary to proceed with the training of trainers who will put the courses given on the ground, usually teachers from the institutions involved.

The last Microsoft IT Academy announced (this week) will be born in Castelo Branco, effectively starting in February. The previous six months served to prepare the whole process.

The courses taught in the academies that are strict in the target recipients – restricting the chances of participation to the universe of the school, present and past (alumni) – are defined, as much as possible, according to the needs of the region and seek to meet the needs of the region. gaps detected in the labor market, as explained by the same responsible.

Of the 35 registered IT Academies, 20 are in higher education institutions, implementations that have benefited from a partnership with UMIC. The rest are the result of a more recent partnership signed with the Ministry of Education, which takes Microsoft training and certification academies to secondary schools. Over the next two years, the proportion of gyms in this universe will increase exponentially, with the installation of 50 more expected by the protocol.

Microsoft’s contribution to the arrival of these structures is first made at the level of teacher training (which in order to teach courses must have certified training) and at a later stage in terms of marketing and access to study materials. The prices of certifications and manuals are different from those practiced outside schools and free licenses.

Students attending courses are integrated into a database used to meet the needs of specialized resources in the Microsoft partner network. Adelaide Franco does not mention numbers but guarantees that the demand for technicians in the training areas of the academies is high. There are also no figures for the number of students trained.

Cristina A. Ferreira