CINCINNATI — Five years ago, Chris Ellison changed careers.
“I wanted to have a better quality of life,” said Ellison, who was working in the restaurant industry.
So he enrolled in a tech boot camp in Indianapolis.
Now, Ellison is changing other people’s lives 12 weeks at a time as director of learning at a brand new tech boot camp in Cincinnati.
Kable Academy — a boot camp for web development, coding and cyber security - is helping people gain valuable skills that will lead them to high-demand jobs. It can be especially helpful to those who lost their jobs during COVID-19.
“If you look at their entry points coming in and exit points coming out, it’s a huge difference,” said Ellison. “You’re talking $25,000 to $45,000 difference in salary. And that has an impact for sure.”
That impact can also be seen in the numbers. According to TechRepublic, there are already an estimated 2.8 million cyber security professionals and there’s still a need to fill more than 4 million positions.
Some of those positions are right here in the Tri-State.
“We are extremely confident that with what we’re teaching them they’ll be able to jump into the job world very quickly,” said Josh Guttman, owner of Kable Group. “There are over 4,000 jobs today in our local area in IT, and we believe that number is actually low.”
Cyber security threats increased during the pandemic, meaning there is an even greater need now for professionals in this industry.
“We’re working with them on interviewing skills, on tech interviewing skills, on etiquette, on LinkedIn, on resumes,” Guttman said. “We have recruiters that are coming in to talk to them about the jobs that are out there and how they have to present themselves.”
A lot of those who signed up for these Monday through Friday lessons — virtually or in-person at 2900 Reading Road in Avondale — did so because of COVID-19, Guttman said.
“There’s so much displacement of individuals that were working at Starbucks, at Macy’s, at movie theaters, as general managers of restaurants, and they’re thinking to themselves, ‘I’ve got to get skilled up!’ They got scared.”
“Ideally you graduate every single person and get them placed in a full-time job truly changing their lives,” Ellison said.
Helping fill tech positions also helps the economy grow.
“Don’t let 12 weeks fool you,” Guttman said. “You’re getting as much live class as you can get in a 2-4 year program in your specific major.”
The academy costs a little over $14,000, but they say they are able to help with expenses through financial aid and scholarships.
You can get more information at KableAcademy.com.
