“What’s happening (in IT) now is exactly why we’re here,” said Aaron Lamey in 2023 in an interview ahead of stepping into his role as Executive Director of Tech901.
And what is happening now, two years later?
Memphis’ technology industry is experiencing rapid growth. Major developments such as Ford’s Blue Oval City, X’s xAI, and Google’s $10 billion West Memphis Campus are only the tip of the iceberg.
Established companies (e.g., FedEx, St. Jude, Methodist Le Bonheur, and Regional One Health) and emerging businesses alike continue to expand their IT infrastructure to meet the demands of an increasingly digital world. The result? A greater need for IT talent.
This year, 2025, also marks the 10th year of Tech901. Although Tech901 evolved significantly in its first decade, its mission has not wavered. Every day, their goal is to serve and equip Memphians so that local organizations better recognize the job-ready local workforce at their doorstep, rather than outsourcing talent, ultimately channeling resources back into the city.
By the end of September 2025, with only three IT Foundations classes completed out of five, Tech901 had more CompTIA A+ certifications than in any previous year. Aaron, in an interview that occurred in early October, attributed that to the innovations tested in 2024 and launched in 2025.
“The cost of trying out Tech901 was expensive for the student, and for our organization,” Lamey said. “Previously, the starting point for incoming students was a 12-week Foundations course. I wanted to find a cheaper way for people to figure out if IT was for them without sacrificing a seat to someone who might end up taking multiple classes.”
This materialized in the form of Tech Essentials and its accompanying Tech+ certification. Although this brief, $100 4-week introductory course was not a mandatory starting point for incoming students in 2025, its implementation led to an increase in incoming students, a higher certification rate, and a greater retention rate.
In short, the data shows that by lowering the up-front cost to try out Tech901, more folks can learn about the opportunities that await them in the IT field and follow a structured path forward based on their specific strengths.
“In the past, we’ve been very a la carte with our class structure,” Lamey said. “The data from 2025 has shown us that the people who went to Tech Essentials and passed the Tech+ exam are more likely to do well in IT Foundations. Because of this, we’re making Tech Essentials a mandatory starting point for all incoming students in 2026.”
Aaron continued, “As an organization, we want to ensure that everyone who spends their time and money on a Tech901 course(s) completes the course ready for the next steps we have in place for them to take.”
What’s in place? The Tech901 Career Hub.
Traditionally, networking would involve an instructor making an introduction to a professional connection, or a student attending a job fair happening ahead of a Tech901 graduation. By 2024, AI recruiting tools began saturating the market to expedite same-month and same-week hiring needs. Emails and handing out resumes no longer worked.
“The Career Hub was born out of student and staff frustration, honestly,” Lamey said. “Sometimes, employers would come to us with staffing needs, and it would take weeks of emailing back and forth to identify what students or alumni were qualified and, from that group, who were interested. We were too slow to deal with the needs of the market.”
Now, employers looking to hire talent can sign up for the Career Hub, send their needs for the Tech901 team to review, and receive responses from qualified Tech901 graduates as soon as the next day.
While sitting down for this interview, Aaron shared real-time insight into this process.
“Right before this, I got a phone call from an employer asking for applicants with A+ certifications obtained in IT Foundations,” Lamey said. “I’ve got the job post drafted and will post it after this chat. I hope we’ll have 20 applicants by tomorrow.”
Lamey continued, “They’ll get to look at those applicants and figure out who they want to interview and hire by the end of the week. Ultimately, tech professionals are searching for problems to solve, and this platform is our solution to overpower the noise of the market and send a clear signal [to employers] saying that when you need a tech professional, you should look for Tech901 alumni.”
It is this problem-solving mindset that demonstrates students can trust Tech901. Once they’re in the door, they can trust that the organization not only advocates for them but actively searches for ways to improve how they advocate.
In 2026, incoming students will have a decade of experience, feedback, and performance data informing course structure and job search experience.
By moving the industry overview portion of the IT Foundations course to Tech Fundamentals, students are given additional space to determine what aspects of IT interest them most prior to enrolling in a lengthy class. After completing Tech Essentials, students have the option to continue down the IT Professional Track or the Software Development Track.
Community came up many times in this conversation. It did so because, in the tech space, it is easier than ever to exist in isolation— especially in a post-COVID society.
Working remotely is not a bad thing. But without physical interaction, an online social life fed by algorithms serving digital dopamine can trick brains into believing they have community when they don’t.
“My wife teases me for how I’m always going on and on about community,” Lamey said. “But from what students share with me and my own life experiences, I believe community is what our society misses most. And it’s my dream for Tech901’s next decade is to fill that void.”
As the conversation concluded, Aaron reflected on the concluding statement in his 2023 interview: “It’s a dynamic field, and we’re (Tech901) growing and learning daily from our students as much as they’re learning from us. So if you’re ready to jump into an IT job right now, we’ll help you get there.”
The same is true today. Though the past decade has been riddled with drastic changes, and the trajectory of the world’s next ten years is clouded, Tech901’s consistent growth and evolution year-to-year illustrate that it is an institution worthy of people’s trust and that it will continue working diligently to strengthen those bonds.
Check out Tech901’s complete 2026 course schedule here.