COMMON Education Foundation's Mission is to expose individuals to IT

As technology continues to evolve at an exponential rate, so does the demand for IT professionals. This growing need presents an unprecedented opportunity for students to embark upon an educational track to prepare them for a professional career in Information Technology.

The COMMON Education Foundation (CEF) is providing pathways to engage and educate a new generation of IT talent. One of CEF’s primary missions is to nurture the development and growth of future IT professionals who will manage and support the computing systems of tomorrow. CEF’s strategy is to encourage students and individuals (including those who have business experience and are considering career changes) to seek careers in the information technology industry, while providing them with supplementary educational opportunities along the way.

Building a New Generation of Users

In 2014, Kelly Mason attended her first COMMON conference as a student of Gateway Technical College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The COMMON Education Foundation provided her a sponsorship to attend. Kelly’s experience at the conference helped her become confident in the path and direction she was headed. The connections she’s made because of it have been invaluable.

Since Kelly’s attendance at the COMMON Fall Conference, she went on to graduate in 2015. She took a job as a Software Engineer, where she utilizes IBM Power Systems to develop in-house programs, from accounts payable to shipping.

To this day, Kelly remains active in the COMMON community attending conferences as well as being active in her local user group, Wisconsin Midrange Computer Professional Association (WMCPA). Kelly and students just like her are the next generations of Power Systems users, and they are critical to the growth and success of IBM, the Cognitive Systems platform and our community.

Creating new educational pathways in IT

Our Mission

As technology continues to evolve at an exponential rate, so does the demand for IT professionals. This growing need presents an unprecedented opportunity for students to embark upon an educational track to prepare them for a professional career in Information Technology.