"We need more Kevs on the help-desk"


SpecIT™ Cadet Program launches another IT career

June 2007  Print

This month we focus on the calibre of the people that are available for employment from the SpecIT™ Cadet program by showcasing Kev Harty, who completed the SpecIT™ program in 2006 and currently works at ACER.

"My passion for I.T has always fed my hunger for knowledge and I have always lived the coin of phrase – Find your obsession & make it your profession!"

"I guess you could say I started off before GUIs and am still a DOS (or CLI) die-hard. I started with a Sharp MZ-700 series computer with audio cassettes as the media (I still have it in perfect working order with literally thousands of programs for it too). From here in Sydney, I was affiliated with a user's group in Brisbane – it was a big thing to be using 11kbps modems and BBSs back then. I then upgraded to an AT PC with 5.25" disks (wow – big step)."

"Computing has always helped me in my work, I used handheld PEDTs – devices for uploading data from S.C.A.D.A systems, and in my own time I spent thousands of dollars on magazines, PCs, Macs, made projects of crude interfaces concocted in the back room until finally a mate asked why I wasn't MAKING money doing what I loved."

So Kev decided it was time to turn his passion into a career

Kev completed a TAFE course in IT which gave him a great starting point, but it didn’t convert into a career opportunity. As is the case with many TAFE and University graduates, they often don’t have the job-ready skills that companies are seeking (a concept which is explored more in Peter Denning and Robert Dunham’s paper The Core of the Third-Wave Professional (PDF)).

Kev saw an advertisement for a training and employment opportunity (through DDLS) and came along to an information seminar in Sydney. Following the seminar Kev was invited to an interview and then successfully passed the multi-stage selection process.

Kev joined DDLS in the full-time SpecIT™ training program for 8 weeks and completed studies in Time Management, Customer and Communications Skills, Process Overview – an Introduction to ITIL®, PRINCE2™, Business Analysis & Project Management, and completed all the requirements and was awarded two certifications – Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) and CompTIA A+ Service Technician (CompTIA A+).

On completion of his training, DDLS arranged an interview and placement for Kev at ACER, one of the world’s top 5 PC brands who have over 39,000 staff globally.

"The SpecIT™ program with DDLS commenced my IT career."

Already Kev is being considered for a promotion into a role where he "...can encourage, motivate, help direct and empower colleagues to share and own exciting projects to grow their own careers."

Kev is now paid for doing something he loves doing, and DDLS is proud to have been able to facilitate this transition in Kev’s life.

The SpecIT™Cadet program is aimed at developing IT industry professionals who are passionate about technology and innovation.

If you need a true Help Desk Staffing Solution, talk to your Account Manager or the DDLS Customer Care Centre on 13 12 01.