November 21, 2017
We recently passed the milestone for the first anniversary of the Barriers to Entry program and we could not be more excited to see the progress that we’ve made. From the very beginning, our mission through the Barriers to Entry program has been to provide opportunity. Opportunity for the men and women struggling to re-enter the workforce after taking a break to care for their families. Opportunity for veterans who spent time serving our country. Opportunity for those who are underemployed and looking to make a career change. An opportunity to make a positive life change and set the foundation for a career in a stable, dynamic, and in-demand industry.
And, we’re very proud to say that, with the help of our clients who believed in this opportunity and believed in our vision for a new pipeline of candidates, we have been able to help many talented people break through some of those barriers and start down a new, successful career path. In fact, one of our very first participants just converted to a full-time employee with a client this week!
In the last year, we have…
- Brought on long-time Think IT supporter and IT leader Silvia Hinton to lead and develop the training curriculum
- Graduated 52 people from the program
- Placed 84.61% of all program graduates
- Placed B2E consultants at 13 clients
Press B2E has received…
- Fox 9 News (November 19, 2016) – Video
- WCCO Radio Interview (November 22, 2015)
- KSTP 5 (November 27, 2016) – Video
- WCCO 4 (December 15, 2016) – Video
- MinnPost (January 18, 2017) – Article
- Star Tribune (February 12, 2017) – Article
- Minnesota Parent (March 6, 2017) – Article
| Roles our grads have filled… | Industries in which they work… |
| Project Coordinator | Manufacturing |
| Project Consultant | Utility |
| Data Analyst | Agricultural |
| Project Analyst | Healthcare |
| IT Analyst | Education |
| Sourcing | Financial |
| Test Analyst | |
| Resource Analyst | |
| Onboarding Consultant |
Some Success Stories…
Doug Ellefson – “Since I was placed in my position, I have been working side by side with a very experienced PM, managing a multi-year project. I could not have asked for a more talented and intelligent person to work with. To say the project I am working on is huge would be the understatement of the year! We use project management software we were exposed to in the B2E program which I have found very helpful. A few of my activities include leading daily meetings, tracking progress with Microsoft Project, and creating PowerPoint decks for presentations to our project sponsors and steering committee. Every day I learn something new, and often get an opportunity to apply that knowledge the very next day.”
Andrea Lentz – “B2E has provided me the path to re-enter the workforce, showcase what I can bring to an organization, and allowed me to grow professionally in a challenging, yet supportive, environment. The program has given me confidence in my abilities and given me an opportunity to move forward in my life.”
Julie Stirnaman – “I’m employed in something that I can grow into and earn a great living with. I don’t have to worry if my job is going to be phased out or the industry is going to close, or if a grant didn’t get approved, will I still have a job? The barriers have been removed; the doors opened and now the rest is up to me.”
As you can see, we’ve had a busy year and we can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store for the Barriers to Entry Program. And, since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, we want to share how grateful we are for everyone who has helped make this program successful. Thank you to our clients forwelcoming B2E grads to your team. Thank you to the IT leaders and project management professionals in our community who have participated in panels and provided guidance and mentorship to our B2E students. And, thank you to all of our B2E students who took a chance on our program, put in the work, and pushed themselves outside their comfort zones. We are so proud of you!
We plan to have 4 training sessions next year: January, April, August, October. If you know anyone who might be a good candidate for the program, please send them our way! And, if you’d like to consider providing a life-changing opportunity to a B2E grad by adding them to your team, please contact us to learn more about the program.
Posted By: Briana Perrino-Barrett