ICT Pro partnership with Linux Professional Institute demonstrates the demand for FOSS

ICT Pro is a corporate training firm centered in Brno, Czech Republic, providing a wide range of training for more than 25 years. Their training in English has already been offered in 14 different countries on 4 continents.

The courses span proprietary technologies such as Microsoft, IBM, and VMware as well as open source technologies such as Linux, Kubernetes, and MySQL. Topics include system administration, programming, networking, security, and what they call «soft skills» such as communications, personal development, and project management.

ICT Pro is both an LPI Platinum Approved Training Partner and a Pearson VUE Authorized Test Center. Thus, they offer certification exams, including the LPI exams, to their customers.

They are currently using the LPI Learning Materials to cover LPIC-1 Exam objectives (101 and 102) in an intensive five-day bootcamp.

ICT Pro generally provides hands-on and face-to-face training, but in the COVID-19 era, moving online became unavoidable. They have enhanced their education approach by online learning in virtual environments, as well as blended learning (also known as hybrid learning) that integrates online technology and digital media with traditional instructor-led classroom teaching activities. The ratio of online courses to in-person courses is currently about 50/50.

Concerning their partnership with LPI, ICT Pro’s CEO Radek Havelka says, «We at ICT Pro aim to maintain and further strengthen our position on the IT and soft skills corporate education market. Becoming an LPI Platinum partner is a great opportunity for us to not only stay in touch with modern education for business development, but also provide a more complete professional training portfolio, especially focusing on open-source technologies.»

Regarding the importance of free and open source technologies in the job market, Havelka cites the https://training.linuxfoundation.org/resources/2020-open-source-jobs-rep… 2020 Open Source Jobs Report from the Linux Foundation, which found the Open sources. He says, «The latest surveys report that Linux skills are back on top as the most sought-after skill, with 80 percent of hiring managers looking for tech professionals with Linux expertise.»

Regarding the importance of free and open source technologies in the job market, Havelka says, «Back in 2018, the Tech Pro Research survey [which is behind a pay wall] found that Linux skills were back on top as the most sought-after skill, with 80 percent of hiring managers looking for tech professionals with Linux expertise. The latest surveys, such as the 2020 Open Source Jobs Report from the Linux Foundation, show that the number of hiring managers who report difficulty finding sufficient talent with open source skills has even risen to 93%.»

Elzbieta Godlewska, LPI’s representative for Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia, writes, «ICT Pro was LPI Central Europe’s first training partner in the Czech Republic. I am very glad to see this partnership extend to the Platinum LPI level. We look forward to many more projects together and an even bigger number of LPI-certified professionals in this part of the world.»