Cain says the Oracle investment is helpful to ITI because it supplies courseware related to the maintenance and use of Oracle database products. He estimates that 80 percent of local high-tech companies use Oracle products, thus making the need for professionals trained in that brand of technology critical. He added that ITI has a partnership with the Microsoft Corporation, the world's largest software company, and that the institute offers certification courses in Microsoft networking technology.
Miles says students trained in Oracle database technology stand a good chance at getting hired by Oracle clients who are in need of workers with those skills.
Cain agrees that the U.S. information technology industry has traditionally lacked adequate representation from minorities and women. He says it's going to require commitment by companies, such as Oracle, to expand outreach efforts in order to increase the numbers of Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans, and women working in those arenas.
"It's very important for [information technology] fields because they have traditionally not been representative of the total population," Cain says.
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