April 30, 2012, Michael Petrov, Digital Edge’s CEO participated in the judgment of this year’s Spring 2012 Capstone Showcase. Alongside Jay Awardena, AT&T CSO, Luke Iorio, President & CEO of the Institute of…
April 30, 2012, Michael Petrov, Digital Edge’s CEO participated in the judgment of this year’s Spring 2012 Capstone Showcase. Alongside Jay Awardena, AT&T CSO, Luke Iorio, President & CEO of the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching IPEC, and Tom Brennan, OWASP Foundation International Board of Directors / NY Chapter Leader and former FBI Infragard member of Board of Directors, Mr. Petrov worked to assess six (6) participant groups on their real-life technical skillsets revolving around time management and team work.
Capstone, an Information Technology Training Course offers a unique real project-based hands-on learning experience where small, multidisciplinary teams of 3-4 students act as employed consultants and developers within small business organizations. Broken up into teams, each group is asked to select a team leader (to act as Project CEO) and determine a project based on team members knowledgebase and interests. Each team is aligned with an individual small business that assists them through this process and guides them throughout the course.
In addition to industry-sponsored projects, Capstone also offers strategic management, entrepreneurship, research & development and teaching projects for students. All of the courses supply hands-on interactive training on hot technology topics demanded by IT employers. Initiated through leadership workshops and presentations, these training projects enhance students communication and social skills, which are designed and taught by industry subject matter experts, top executives, faculty, advanced peers, and NJIT (New Jersey Institute of Technology) alumni.
This year, The Capstone Showcase, “University Without Walls,” was held at the NJIT college’s Atrium & Ballroom. With the largest turnout in NJIT history, the college had more than 40 teams made-up of 4 majors and had over 400 sponsors, many from Fortune 500 companies such as AT&T, Metlife, IMS Health, as well as international organizations such as healthcare systems, educational institutions, government agencies and social programs. The projects were provided to tackle complex problems and provide cost-effective solutions with full faculty coaching and mentorship.
This year’s topics included: Software development, Architecture, Security Networks, Websites, and Mobile Apps.
With six (6) teams to present, the 8 panel judges were asked to score based on overall results and skills. During the presentations, teams were asked to
breakdown their complex problems into manageable pieces, identify project risks, and suggest strategies to minimize the project stakeholder’s scope & requirements. Using the appropriate hardware/software that applied to the projects, students were able to enhance the quality of their executed solutions. Michael stated “Their ability to explain, convince, & engage on their given projects was impressive. Each team organized the presentation in a meaningful way from start to end, and did an astonishing job capturing, mapping and visualizing the design of their project, identifying their key components and working as a team, and using user feedback to lead them to implement the solution successfully”.
To Note: As a new member to Capstone’s Training Courses, found through our new Jersey Technology Council membership, students that participate in these trainings find job opportunities instantly and forge important business connections to potential employers throughout the courses. Capstone teams present their final projects to the public in a big competition where employers come and offer direct career opportunities. Moreover, students who complete the course with excellence receive special certificates, in-advance recommendation letters and cash prizes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SbI8DugtnA
