The IT Apprentice Back By Popular Demand; Valtech Technologies Partners With AITP Dallas Again
Ron Darnell was finishing up a contract assignment at a local technology company last fall when he attended an event that sounded like a fun chance to do a little networking.
By the end of the night, he was told, "You're hired!"
Mr. Darnell was the winner of the first IT Apprentice competition hosted by the Dallas chapter of the Association of Information Technology Professionals. It's a live, local, tech-centric version of the NBC show The Apprentice, with Donald Trump.
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Mr. Darnell won a 90-minute competition to snag a job with Valtech North America in Plano.
"I never expected to win, but I did, so here I am," said Mr. Darnell, who's still a senior consultant at Valtech.
Starting today, local IT pros can apply for this year's competition. The winner once again will get a job at Valtech, with a salary in the $85,000 to $100,000 range. The event is intended to encourage networking among tech professionals, AITP officials say.
AITP membership is not required. Midwest Consulting will handle the initial screening of applicants and will choose the finalists for the Nov. 29 event.
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As with last year's competition, finalists will be given a problem to solve within 90 minutes and will present recommendations. The event is open to the public, and audience members will be able to vote.
"The candidates will be challenged to use out-of-the-box thinking, great people skills, and plain hard work to be successful," event organizer Deborah Lovell said. Ted Layne, vice president of technical services for Michaels Stores Inc., again will serve as judge, complete with a Trump wig. He'll get help from Ann McCool, an IT consultant and a former executive at RadioShack Corp., and Reena Batra, chief executive of Software Professionals Inc.
According to Mr. Darnell, last year Mr. Layne doled out criticism that was just as tough as Mr. Trump's. Mr. Darnell was one of three finalists chosen from dozens of entrants. Each finalist led a team of four volunteers in designing and building a bridge made of Tinker Toys. They had to do budgets, timelines, marketing plans and a presentation to the judges.
Mr. Darnell's presentation was voted the best. The fact that he's approaching his one-year anniversary at Valtech validates the judges' decision.
"It's a good bunch of folks, and there's plenty of work to do here," he said. "It's been a pleasure."
Vist Link:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/061102/dath031.html?.v=77
http://sys-con.com/read/294507.htm
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-apprentice_01bus.ART0.State.Edition1.31b2c25.html
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