WOS and Penn State-Abington launched a partnership in September 2011 to train military veterans in business operations support. Seven Veterans earned their certificates in Business Operations Support from Penn State-Abington in March 2012 and currently work as customer service representatives and project managers at Prudential in Fort Washington, PA.
The WOS program at Penn State-Lehigh Valley is a collaboration between WOS, Penn State-Lehigh Valley, and Guardian Life Insurance. The program targets graduated or graduating high school seniors that are ready for college but lack the necessary financial support structure needed for college success. The first class, which graduated in January 2011, completed a curriculum in Software Development Lifecycle, which was divided into three 13-week semesters with courses such as System Analysis and Design, Quality Assurance, JAVA, SQL, .NET, and also work on soft skills through our Mentoring courses.
Upon successful completion of the first semester, students begin part-time consulting work at client corporations. They become full-time consultants at the completion of the academic program and can be hired by sponsoring companies. The inaugural class works at Guardian in diverse roles, including Quality Assurance, Business Analyst, Network Engineer, and Data Center Operations positions.
After receiving their certificate of completion, participants in the program receive tuition reimbursement for up to six credits per semester at any state university of their choice, as well as single health insurance at no cost. The program is designed to provide a pathway toward a successful career in IT as well as a debt-free college education for young adults in the Penn State-Lehigh Valley region.