Willis News

Willis College Partners with Fortinet to Create and Fill Jobs in Ottawa

June 5, 2013

Willis College, a leading Canadian Private Career College, has announced an innovative job creation program with Fortinet, a leading network security provider and the worldwide leader of unified threat management solutions. Willis College intends to expand its staff and grow its Ottawa campus security curriculum with the help of Fortinet product training, research and development and technical support teams. Fortinet provides end-to-end security solutions to enterprises, service providers and government entities worldwide, including the majority of the Fortune 100™

“We look forward to working with Willis College on their security program and recruiting their best and brightest students as soon as they graduate.”

Michael Anderson, Vice President of Fortinet spoke to following a press conference held by HRSDC at Willis College on March 26, 2013.

“Mr. Anderson said the engineering and development of two of his firm’s major product lines – Fortimail and Fortivoice – are based in Ottawa. We’re growing so quickly that I have no space to hire people,” he said in an interview. He said the company provides the Willis College with equipment, coaching and training, which is then incorporated into Willis’ curriculum. As a result, Fortinet has hired 25 Willis graduates for its Ottawa operations, including five in the last week, Mr. Anderson said.

“Willis College graduates join us with strong technical skills, professional communication skills and great attitudes. They have proven to be a great fit for our fast-paced, highly technical environment. Because of the excellent training these graduates receive at Willis, they’re immediately able to add real value to our organization. The fact that Willis graduates students throughout the year is particularly useful for us since our staffing needs are as dynamic as the business we support. We look forward to building on our strong relationship with Willis College, hiring many more graduates as soon as they graduate, to offer the local community opportunities for high quality technical training and great jobs in a fast-growing industry.”

Mr. Anderson also said that the hiring forecast is for Fortinet’s to roughly hire 80 Ottawa support employees by the end of the year. With projections of that number is expected to triple over the next three to five years.

“The Willis College students we have hired have been exceptional. Some of them have already been promoted and are doing very well in their roles. We are very happy to be a part of this partnership.” said Ed Issacs, Fortinet Techinical Support Supervisor for the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand”

“We are honoured to have been chosen for this opportunity,” said Rima Aristocrat, president of Willis College. “It is a testament to and recognition of our excellence in IT education, which we strive to achieve and maintain. This partnership will put our graduates at the forefront of their competition and generally benefit our community.”

What Our Graduates Are Saying

Willis College is so flexible for students! My program allowed me to complete all my courses online. I got to choose when I wanted to attend my live lectures which was incredibly helpful around my daily life. This program made it possible for me to pursue a career as a single mom!
Taylor McElroy
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