Changing your life doesn’t just mean changing your career, getting a new house or car, it means gaining a whole new perspective on the way you live your life. Those are the lessons learned for students attending PC ProSchools, a Microsoft IT Academy. Students at the Brookfield Campus of PC Pro Schools set goals to achieve the success they desire. They are tired of their dead end jobs and lousy pay. Some had been considered to be those “in need” themselves. So as they make their 6 month transformation into IT professionals what they learn often goes beyond servers and switches. PC ProSchools’ students learn the value of giving back. “After watching American Idol Gives Back (via my DVR because I was in class)” explains one student, “I was really moved to take action. My family never had the luxury of having a computer in our home, much less food some times and now that I am already working in the IT industry and making more money than I ever thought I could I feel excited to be able to give back.” So when Campus Director Laura Polancich learned of an opportunity to serve the community through New Horizons Un-Limited, Inc. at a Help Desk Institute Chapter meeting and it involved computers she jumped on it.
New Horizons Un-Limited Inc.(NHU), a non-profit organization based in Milwaukee, WI, has been providing access to informational and technological tools for people with disabilities since 1994. NHU accepts donations of "retired" computers and refurbishes them, granting Windows workstations to individuals and to non-profit organizations. In addition, New Horizons Un-Limited offers computer recipients technical support and access to computer training.
PC ProSchools has now teamed up with NHU to aid in staffing their volunteer help desk. PC ProSchools, is Southeast Wisconsin’s largest independent provider of computer training. PC ProSchools focuses on providing quality education to students wishing to change careers and enter the Information Technology (IT) industry. Along with the hands-on training in the classroom and lab setting, PC ProSchools seeks opportunities for students to gain real world experience as well throughout the six month program. “Teaming up with NHU seemed to be a perfect match for our students to gain real world experience while allowing NHU to continue to reach their goals,” shared Director of Instruction Dale Tuchalski.
Several PC ProSchools’ students are volunteering over 200 hours of their time to refurbish machines and answer help desk calls from computer recipients. “This is a great opportunity for students to get more hands-on experience and give back to the community” states Laura Polancich, Campus Director at PC ProSchools. “When I first presented it to the students via email I had dozens of responses within minutes. It made me very proud of the students I represent. It’s a winning situation for everyone; especially those receiving these computers.” Volunteer training for this program begins soon and PC ProSchools and New Horizons Un-Limited have long term plans for this program to continue for years to come.
