IN PHOTO: Dan Pichler, Thrivent (center) converses with student Prachi Khare and instructor Steve Ebben.

As a Fortune 500 nonprofit financial services organization, Thrivent Financial relies on a top-notch information technology (IT) team to serve its members and to grow the company’s business. “These days almost everything we do to serve our members is in some way connected to information technology, either through the internet and networking, application programming and telephony,” says Dan Pichler, director of hosting services at Thrivent. “We employ team members to develop and maintain the networking systems and websites used by our members and representatives.” 

Pichler, a member of Fox Valley Technical College’s industry-based IT Advisory Committee, thinks highly of the college’s approach to technical education and training. “Fox Valley Tech is an organization you want to be involved with because of its people,” he says. “I help the college align its programs by identifying needed technology skills that are highly sought by a variety of organizations.”

A strong educational foundation with hands-on experience is a priority at Thrivent. “FVTC’s programs provide students with a practical, problem-solving understanding of many aspects of IT,” Pichler adds. “For example, the IT Network Lab at the college allows students to get hands-on experience in configuring and administering networks, enabling them to be productive more quickly in the workplace.”

Pichler views FVTC as a great economic development asset for northeast Wisconsin and recommends the college as a positive first step in post-secondary education. “Fox Valley Tech gives students a foundation that’s needed to realize a successful future.” 

Learn more about IT programs at Fox Valley Technical College >>

Quick Facts:

• 55 postings per month in our region for full-time careers in Information Technology (Wisconsin TechConnect, 2016)
• $40,000+ average annual salary for software developers who graduated from FVTC in 2015 (2016 FVTC Graduate Employment Research Report)
• $51,300+ average annual salary for web designers who graduated from FVTC after being in the workforce five years (2016 FVTC Graduate Employment Research Report)