IBM and Northeast Iowa Community College are forging a partnership

IBM today announced it is expanding partnerships with numerous community colleges in the United States to better prepare more Americans for "New Collar" career opportunities.

Included on the list is a partnership with Northeast Iowa Community College.  IBM and NICC's Dubuque campus this month are launching a customized five-week course for incoming IBM New Collar interns from the school, as well as entry-level IBM employees. The course will focus on in-demand skills, such as computer ethics, time management and introductions to operating system platforms, virtualization, coding and IT trouble shooting.

IBM has long-standing academic training partnerships with more than 70 U.S. universities and community colleges to help address America's growing skills gap.