Blog

Taking Skillset to a Whole New Level: Will Tooker

10/9/2020 Project Management Certificate Graduate Will Tooker shares his story of advancing his career and how Tombolo Institute at Bellevue College set him up for success: I had gotten to a point in my career that I felt like I was doing okay, but occasionally I would run up against…

Read more

New Bootcamps: Skill Up with Coding & Data Science

10/9/2020 According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of software developers is projected to grow 22 percent in the next 9 years, a faster rate than the average growth rate for all occupations. With a growing number of job seekers in the technology industry, it is imperative…

Read more

New Course Offering: Prepare Your Business for The Effects of COVID-19

9/3/2020 The Tombolo Institute is excited to introduce a new program, Innovation Lab, an intensive, seven-week program designed to help businesses acquire relevant business knowledge and adapt to the changed economic environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic. In partnership with Startup425, we are even more excited to offer this program…

Read more

Taking a Hard Look at Soft Skills in the Tech Industry

8/18/2020 As U.S. technology companies began to expand into global markets and build multicultural teams, they came to realize that having employees with good soft skills was critical to their success. It may come as a surprise that the more technology advances and permeates everyday life, the more crucial social…

Read more

The Value of IT Certifications

6/9/2020 As IT leaders scramble to close the skills gaps within their organizations, hiring candidates with the right IT certifications is becoming increasingly advantageous. Hiring managers are under tremendous pressure to find new hires who can quickly become productive team members, who can troubleshoot problems and complete projects on time,…

Read more

Recorded Info Sessions – Technology Certificate Programs

5/5/2020 COVID-19 has altered the way in which we can prepare you for tomorrow's workforce, but it isn't stopping us from keeping you informed! Below are on-demand info sessions for four of our programs. These instructor-led programs are offered online so you can enhance your skills from the comfort and…

Read more

Q&A with Albert Lewis Jr., M.Ed., Vice President of Economic & Workforce Development, Tombolo Institute

4/22/2020 How did Tombolo Institute come about and what is its mission? Albert Lewis: We recognized that there’s a skills gap in the Pacific Northwest as it relates to technology training, and that companies are always seeking well-qualified candidates. It used to be that big tech companies were almost exclusively…

Read more

Going Beyond Learning Objectives: Setting Application and Impact Objectives for Training Programs

4/15/2020 The foundation for formal learning within an organization typically is based on learning objectives that guide curriculum development and a basic level of assessment—or “show us what you learned.” Indeed, most organizations seem to assume that if employees learn new skills and acquire knowledge, the benefits to the organization…

Read more

The Rise of Online Learning

4/1/2020 At colleges across the United States, the rate of growth in online enrollment is outpacing that for on-campus enrollment. According to Inside Higher Ed, “The number of students taking at least one online course grew from 31.1 percent in 2016 to 33.1 percent in 2017 and 34.7 percent in 2018.” While online…

Read more

Cloud Architecture has the Money, but not the Architects to Build it

1/6/2020 First off, let’s try to agree on something. Has cloud computing completely changed the way people and businesses are conducting their activities? If that premise is true, then shouldn’t we be looking at how jobs are being adjusted to reflect this new reality? Are we ready to face new challenges…

Read more