Women encouraged to explore IT careers

The Latte Training Academy, Inc. is encouraging U.S. eligible women in the CNMI to consider entering into the information technology sector. In partnership with InteliSecure, Inc. the Latte Training Academy introduced the cybersecurity industry into the CNMI marketplace in April this year. The CNMI is the first jurisdiction to boast a full-scale Security Operations Center, commonly referred to as a SOC, in the region. To date, InteliSecure, Inc. has hired just under 10 full-time employees and is seeking to hire additional personnel.

“We are thrilled [with] the success of our partnership with InteliSecure, Inc. who has been aggressive in meeting their hiring plan for the year. Amid a pandemic, they have hired CompTIA-certified professionals trained through the Latte Training Academy, Inc. This has led to a sufficient demand to enroll in our Information Technology Fundamental (ITF+) course, which is a requirement for consideration of employment with InteliSecure, Inc. While we are excited about the demand, we want to strongly encourage women within our community not to shy away for a career within the industry,” said LTA president Juan-Carlos Benitez.

With much of the business environment transitioning to online platforms as a result of COVID-19, the Latte Training Academy, Inc. is making headway in attracting other technology companies to the CNMI. The protection of the United States legal system and the CNMI’s position on the opposite side of the international dateline provide attractive qualities to tech firms needing to commit to a “follow-the-sun” business model to support their customer base.

“While we are gaining significant interest by tech firms seeking to enter the marketplace, a big component that many firms have been asking about is our workforce diversification. As a result, we began assessing the demographics and recognized that a very small percentage of registered participants and those who make inquiries in the Information Technology program are females. We are not sure why this is the case, but we think it is because the industry is so new to the region and many people believe they must have an Information Technology background and education to apply. Either way, we are encouraging women who may have the slightest interest in entering the Information Technology workforce to register for our upcoming course,” said LTA treasurer Ed Arriola, Jr.

The learn more about the program and register, visit www.lattetrainingacademy.org. (PR)