Training Services is relaunching its New Hire IT Orientation as Illinois IT JumpStart. If you’re a University of Illinois employee interested in learning about the fundamentals of essential IT programs and software frequently used on campus, this program is for you. 

Although this training has been around for a few years, it was paused during the pandemic and recently relaunched with a new format and some new training content. The workshops now take on a hybrid format—employees have the option of attending sessions at home or in person. Any employee (new or not) is welcome to sign up for the training.  

The program is held once a month, covering the basics of 5 essential programs used on campus: Outlook Exchange, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Cloud Storage, and Cybersecurity. The program is generally scheduled for the third week of the month unless university events or breaks interfere. Program dates are released for sign-up on a month-by-month basis. 

Illinois IT JumpStart is designed for sign up in an à la carte fashion. As such, employees have the option of signing up for anything from just one session to all of them depending on personal needs and schedules, and employees have the option of attending programs more than once if needed—all at no cost. Although the training is meant to cover just the basics, Tech Services’ Training Services holds workshops year-round to go more in-depth into each of the topics.