Getting Started
The Association of Rehabilitation Programs in Computer Technology (ARPCT) has teamed with several world leading providers and supporters of web based e-learning to offer nearly 8,000 hours of corporate quality, tuition-free, on-line training in a variety of career related areas. Information Technology, E-commerce, Accounting, and Finance are offered to people with disabilities and to the professionals that serve them. ARPCT is an international association dedicated to bridging the digital divide since it started in 1977 under IBM sponsorship.
ARPCT, in partnership with Smartforce.com, National Science Foundation, Manpower, MICTA, IBM, and the Tate Center for Research in Technology and Education at Western Michigan University has formed the first on-line international training center for people with disabilities as well as the professionals and paraprofessionals that directly serve them. This consortium has formed EditU (Education for People with Disabilities in Informational Technology University) to provide both on-line supplemental support to rehabilitation facilities, community colleges and other workforce development training programs, as well as direct access for qualified individuals with disabilities lacking access to local vocational rehabilitation training and placement support. These courses are also available in eight different languages in the following disciplines with health care, safety, and environmental science to be added soon as well.
Available Courses
Interpersonal Skills - Training that will help learners develop the critical interpersonal and professional skills required in today's workplace. Learning paths offer practical techniques and examples that can help learners to enhance the learner's workplace performance and contribution.
IT Skills- Learning paths designed in partnership with software vendors that provides training and support for every stage of the IT career path learning curve.
Business Skills - Career minded learning paths that not only ground learners in business and financial theory, but also allow learners to practice learners' knowledge in realistic role-play and business modeling scenarios.
E-Business - Using extensive multimedia resources - animation, streamed seminars, and mentored exercises - this training helps both the technical and business sides of an organization prepare for the New Economy.
Home and Business - For people with disabilities and the professionals that directly serve them who want to learn the computing basics without sacrificing too much of their leisure time, these paths deliver instruction on IT and business topics relevant to entry level Informational Technology positions.
Certification - SmartForce has long been the leading provider of certification programs for IT professionals including MOUS, A+ network, MCSE, Novell, and Cisco, and it reported by SmartForce that nearly 85 percent of the learners who pass the SmartForce assessment tests on learning paths directly mapped to exams are able to master the certification testing.
There are no tuition costs for classes. The training and/or individual registrant receives free unlimited 12-month access to all the courses, a 24x7 online library, 24x7 Mentor support, 24x7 assessment tests, customized instructional content, online progress reporting access to live and archived presentation by leading experts, chat areas and evaluations. The cost of certification testing is not covered by the enrollment fee as it needs to be done through an independent certification vendor. However, access to the online training is still an exceptional value and a great way for clients and their instructors to upgrade IT skills and/or learn new skills.
