Web Courses, Computer Internships Spark Careers
Montgomery College Today, Fall ’01

The slowdown of the dot-com economic sector last year ushered in tighter competition for information technology (IT) jobs. To meet the challenge, Montgomery College coordinated with area employers to bridge the skills gap by offering technical training with reality training. Its popular computer certification programs meet workplace trends, while the computer applications/computer science internship program provides the first on-the-job experience for many students, who then go on to successful careers in their chosen major or certificate program.

International students Irina Charova and Xian E-Zhang both successfully completed an impressive list of computer courses but had trouble finding that first job without work history. Through the internship program, Charova landed at the Bethesda-based Web design company, Selbre and Associates, while Xian was hired by Geomet Technologies in Germantown, as a Web design/Flash intern. National Institutes of Health (NIH) employee Mona Combs used her final project from an MC course, “Establishing a Corporate Intranet,” to implement part of an intranet at NIH. She was recognized by the organization for her outstanding initiative and service with a prestigious employee award. The College continues to work with local business and government to keep doors opening for its qualified students. Recently, seven interns had an opportunity to design and manage Web sites and databases for the Library of Congress. Many interns chose Montgomery College to retrain in the computer field.