InteliSecure pushes forward with hiring

The CNMI’s first cyber security company is scheduled to launch immediately after Gov. Ralph DLG Torres lifts the CNMI’s social-distancing orders. InteliSecure, Inc. in partnership with Latte Training Academy, Inc., began interviews via web conferencing last Monday for 12 positions they are seeking to fill.

“Each of the candidates referred for interviews completed LTA’s CompTIA Information Technology Fundamentals course prior to the COVID-19 crisis. While many of the students were scheduled to sit for the examination at the NMC Testing center, the COVID-19 crisis has required us to reschedule the examinations. Despite that, we felt comfortable referring the participants to InteliSecure for employment interviews,” said LTA board member Ed Arriola Jr.

LTA ran its first cohort for the CompTIA Information Technology Fundamentals in January 2020 in support of their partnership with InteliSecure. The organization was scheduled to launch its second cohort in March. The CNMI’s social distancing orders has required LTA to pivot its instruction from their facility at the Marianas Business Plaza to an online format.

“We are exploring a couple of online platforms including Adobe Connect Learning, Big Blue Button, and Jisti. While we can use Google Hang-Outs and Zoom, we are concerned about bandwidth since those platforms are being used heavily for distance learning and telehealth needs” said IT instructor Herm Kintol.

For their part, InteliSecure has completed renovations of its office at the Marianas Business Plaza and has ordered the tech and furnishings that are being shipped from California to the CNMI. CNMI site director Jose Padilla relocated from InteliSecure’s Denver offices to the CNMI to begin the hiring, training and launching of the site.

“I am thrilled to be leading the charge on this very important initiative for InteliSecure. Obviously, the timing of the COVID-19 crisis is less than ideal, but I am grateful for the support that the Latte Training Academy team has provided in this move. I was able to interview candidates earlier this week via web conferencing and was very happy with the results. We look forward to the next group of candidates that LTA will be training up and once the Office of the Governor provides the guidance, we will ensure that we move as quickly as possible to contributing to getting the CNMI back to normalcy,” said Padilla.

LTA, which is a 501c3 non-profit, has historically ensured that participants do not pay for services it provides. The organization has covered the cost of instruction, materials, and certifications through the use of external resources including federal grants, workforce funding, local grants, and operational revenues to support its mission.

“While LTA covered the expense of the first cohort of students to support this effort, we have been in discussion with the CNMI Department of Labor to ensure that residents can avail of the federal workforce funding to support these efforts moving forward. We want to ensure that participants can focus on learning the skills necessary to deploy into the workforce and make sure that we leverage funding specifically designated for these types of efforts to meet that commitment. We have been in discussion with the CNMI’s State Workforce Development Board and are confident that they will act swiftly to ensure that citizens interested in engaging in this and other workforce training programs are given the financial support to do so,” said LTA board president Juan-Carlos Benitez.

To learn more about the Latte Training Academy, Inc.’s programs and services, visit www.lattetrainingacademy.org. (PR)