Local Pastor starts up Ascender Academy to teach IT and life skills to underemployed in Milwaukee area

Pastor Brian McKee of the City of Light non-denominational church in the  Wauwatosa/Milwaukee area has begun a new program to teach IT software skills as well as life skills to the unemployed and under employed.

McKee was a special guest on the CBS 58 News at 4:30 p.m.

His church officially opens in September of 2016.

\"People that have a heart for Milwaukee that want to do community based work,\" explained McKee.  'Not just be focused on a church building. But  be focused on lives and people out in the community.  And how we can strengthen the city that love so much.\"

McKee says over 14 years in IT as well as a software and cyber security professional, he realized that there are under served communities that haven't had the same connections with IT.\"

It's then he came up with the idea of Ascender Academy.

\"We've been connecting with various corporations and businesses that are really lacking IT software professionals right now.  So it's just a win-win when you have people who need a job and corporations that actually need a software developer there.  We help to marry the two of those.\"

McKee says he's been in meetings with multiple organizations and corporations  that are excited about the program.  

\"We in the mode of building up our team.  We have several IT trainers who are training students. And we have a go fund me account to build up resources.  So as we expand our IT trainer space we can expand to more people in the greater Milwaukee area.\"

McKee says the name came from the contraption that allows mountain climbers to attach to a rope and move up and prevents them from falling off.

\"Ascender Academy came from that. We want to help give people upward mobility. We want to help to give them skills, not only in IT, but life skills and corporate assimilation skills that will help them be well rounded and ascend, not just in their careers but in life as well.\"

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The CBS 58 News at 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. gives extra time to local people and organizations that viewers say are deserving of attention amidst all the negative news.

By providing a full hour of information and conversation, the afternoon program is able to go in depth when other newscasts cannot.