Closing the Internet Skills Gap

There simply aren't enough Web site designers and programmers to power the new economy. As many as 500,000 such U.S. jobs remain unfilled. At the same time, social concern is rising over the many young people, often from minority groups, who lack access to computers and the skills to use them. 

A start-up, iGeneration, proposes a way to solve both problems at the same time -- profitably. The company has developed a system to assess skills, provide a personalized training course that teaches the skills needed to succeed in the current job market, and certify the competence of its trainees to potential employers. iGeneration says it can train a motivated young person with virtually no computer background to be a Web designer in as little as six months. Moreover, the company will loan trainees the money to pay for the training, guarantee placement in a job for those who successfully complete the program, and even forgive the loan for those who stay in that job at least a year. The company expects to make money by charging the employers who hire its graduates about $67,000 per trainee, well below typical hiring costs for Internet talent today. 

iGeneration CEO Toby Corey points out that an estimated 10 million young people in the United States are interested in an Internet career, but many of them don't know where to begin. He believes his new company can give them a hand up, while also helping to relieve the industry's critical labor shortages.