Lumity, a technology and financial consulting organization, has been awarded a grant to provide Microsoft IT Academy training to non-profits in Illinois.
Non-profits that meet the criteria and sign up before funding runs out (first come, first served), get free paid online training on Microsoft products through the Microsoft IT Academy. For example, if you are a library or other eligible non-profit that is open to the public for a certain amount of hours and has computer access, your patrons can take the online classes for free through the grant. You just have to sign up.
It is normally around $200 for the Word training alone, but that fee is paid through the grant. It takes 3-5 hours to complete the program and the participant receives a certificate of completion. They have 6 months to complete. They are not "Microsoft Certified" after completing the program, but they can choose to spend their own money and take the test for that particular certification.
There are regulations about the location being open to the general public a certain amount of time each week. So, if it is a school that is interested, the computer lab has to be open after hours to the public. There are also some paperwork requirements to track who starts and completes the program. (If someone does not complete, that is not a problem.) Please confirm with the contact below to make sure you are eligible and to answer any other questions.
Please note that Lumity will do train-the-trainer training downstate. If there are a group of libraries in a general area, we will try to have the training at a central location.
