Technology industry advocacy group FlagshipKansas.Tech has unveiled details of an up-skilling competition that comes with $10,000 in prize money.
The UpSkill-A-Thon contest will run for a month starting Monday, Oct. 17, and includes a kickoff event at 11 a.m. at Groover Labs on Oct. 21.
The competition is being launched with funding from Microsoft Philanthropies and is part of the new Community Skills Initiative Kansas — a program designed to boost skills statewide for workers looking to enter, or advance in, the technology industry.
Interested participants can register for the competition online in one of three categories:
• Age 16-24: $1,500 for first place, $1,000 for second and $500 for third.
• Age 25 and older: $1,500 for first place, $1,000 for second and $500 for third.
• Teams (up to four people): $2,000 for first place, $1,500 for second and $500 for third.
The contest will have participants learning new skills via online training and uploading completed certifications to compile points.
Those with the most points in their categories will be awarded the prize money.
“Flagship has developed a strong partnership over the years with Microsoft, and we are honored to be one of only nine organizations in the country to be chosen to help champion this initiative,” FlagshipKansas.Tech board chair and Keycentrix President Luis Rodriguez said in a press release. “Our goal is to have 150 individuals participate in the UpSkill-A-Thon, and we believe these skills will help individuals be more successful in their current roles or as they seek out job opportunities.”
Correction: This story updates a previous version with a separate date for the kickoff event.
