By Shelby Ruud
Registration is now open for a free certification course designed to train technology sales professionals. The new 45-hour Certified Tech Sales Professional course is a partnership between Utah State University Extension and MarketStar, a Utah-based leader in the outsourced B2B inside sales industry.
The program is ideal for people who live in rural areas as it allows professionals to work remotely. It guarantees participants an interview with MarketStar after completing the training course. The partnership is made possible by Utah Works Grant through the Utah System of Higher Education’s Talent Ready Utah.
“These are well-paying positions with upward mobility that allow employees to work from home,” said Paul Hill, USU Extension professor. “We know from our research that remote jobs bring higher incomes and a greater quality of life for individuals and families in our rural communities, which in turn stimulates economic growth and diversity.”
Registration is limited to 20 people per month, with a goal of 200 program participants over the two-year project.
“We are thrilled for this partnership with MarketStar and the opportunities it will create for economic diversity and financial mobility in our rural Utah communities,” said Ken White, USU Extension vice president.
MarketStar will hire for an estimated 1,000 positions in 2023-24 across all tech sales, tech enablement and support roles.
“We are excited to partner with USU Extension to develop the new Certified Technology Sales Professional certification,” said Justin Nalder, executive vice president of corporate operations for MarketStar. “There are more than 750,000 new inside sales jobs created in the U.S. each year, and Utah technology companies will need talented and trained sales professionals as our technology sector continues to grow and thrive. The new certificate program will connect talented people from Utah’s rural communities to high-demand sales skill training, and then to some of the most interesting and contemporary brands in technology. We are excited to participate in developing the program.”
A recent $500,000 Utah Works Grant funded the program. The grant is awarded through Talent Ready Utah, housed within the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education. Talent Ready Utah works closely with industry and education to develop workforce development solutions to build Utah’s talent pool by providing increased access to career and educational opportunities in high-growth industry sectors that result in career placements.
“The Utah Legislature graciously provided appropriations to Utah Works, a program that increases partnerships between businesses and the Utah System of Higher Education to provide short-term technical skills training to fill high-demand positions,” said Vic Hockett, director of Talent Ready Utah. “MarketStar is a visionary organization that is growing at a rapid rate. We are excited for the lives that will be changed through this expert-designed training offered by USU Extension to directly fill tech occupations.”
To register for the Certified Tech Sales Professional course, visit http://remoteworkcertificate.com/sales.