By Richard Thompson

CertificationPoint Launches Work eXperience Builders (WXBs) and Career Readiness IT Apprenticeship Program to Bridge the Gap Between Education and Employment Baton Rouge, LA - August 14, 2025 - CertificationPoint, a national leader in hands-on workforce development and career readiness, is proud to announce the expanded launch of its Work eXperience Builders (WXBs) and IT Apprenticeship Program, designed to empower students, career changers, and underrepresented job seekers through real-world, project-based learning and mentorship.

Amid growing demand for skilled talent in technology and other high-demand industries, CertificationPoint’s platform helps participants gain relevant work experience, on-the-job training, and career-ready credentials — without requiring prior industry exposure or expensive bootcamps.

“Our mission is to make career readiness equitable, accessible, collaborative, and results-driven,” said Byron Giles, CEO of CertificationPoint. “Through the WXBs Stack model and our IT Apprenticeship program, learners don’t just build resumes — they build confidence, skills, and opportunities for long-term success.”

What Is the Work eXperience Builders (WXBs) Model?

The WXBs model provides participants with access to paid, short-term projects posted by real clients and service-buyers across the U.S. These projects simulate workplace demands and help users demonstrate skill application, solve real-world problems, and build a digital portfolio while earning income.

Each participant is supported by:

- 1-on-1 mentoring
- Just-in-time training modules
- Automated resume and LinkedIn tools
- Progress dashboards and competency-based feedback

About the IT Apprenticeship Program

CertificationPoint’s IT Apprenticeship Program, a 16-week cohort is a targeted initiative for individuals pursuing careers in technology, which includes but is not limited to:

- Cybersecurity
- Networking
- Software development
- IT support

Program benefits include:

- Access to curated IT projects aligned with industry
certification objectives (e.g., CompTIA, Cisco, AWS) - Real-time coaching from certified industry professionals
- Built-in support for certification prep
- Skill badges and digital credentials
- Employer-matching opportunities for high performers

The program is structured in four progressive tiers that allow learners to demonstrate growth and earn additional rewards, including gift cards, advanced training credits, and priority job referrals.

Built for Students, Veterans, and Career Changers

CertificationPoint is uniquely positioned to serve:

- College and trade school students lacking internship experience
- Veterans transitioning to civilian careers
- Working adults pivoting into IT or tech roles
- High school CTE learners seeking exposure to industry pathways

By eliminating geographic barriers, the platform supports a fully remote learning and work experience, giving participants across urban and rural regions equal access to opportunity.

Enrollment & Regional Impact

Enrollment for CertificationPoint’s programs is available on a quarterly basis, with current openings for:

Cohort #1: February 5 – March 5, 2025
Cohort #2: May 5 – June 5, 2025
Cohort #3: August 5 – September 5, 2025
Cohort #4: November 5 – December 5, 2025

Participants are encouraged to apply early, with special scholarships and onboarding support available through academic and workforce partners.

A Proven Model for Workforce Readiness

Since its pilot, the CertificationPoint platform has helped thousands of learners build verified credentials and enter the workforce with proven skills. The platform has demonstrated:

- 60% reduction in employer onboarding time
- 45% higher employment conversion rates compared to traditional internships
- Over 15,000 hours of verified project experience logged

“This isn’t just a project board or learning portal,” said Olivia Holmes-Giles. “It’s a complete ecosystem designed to transition learners from education to employment — with real accountability, support, and results.”

About CertificationPoint

CertificationPoint.org is a national career readiness and workforce development platform that connects learners to paid projects, mentorship, and industry-aligned training. By working with academic institutions, workforce boards, nonprofits, and corporate partners, CertificationPoint builds talent pipelines that promote equity, access, and career mobility.

Media Contact

Company Name: CertificationPoint
Contact Person: Communications Team
Email: Send Email
Phone: 318-572-8340
Country: United States
Website: www.certificationpoint.org

By Mathias Henry

Archaeologists believe they have uncovered evidence of an ancient biblical battle, all thanks to a few broken fragments found in a curious location.

The artifacts, which mostly consist of Egyptian pottery, were found during a recent excavation of the ancient city of Megiddo in northern Israel. The site is said to contain over 30 layers of various settlements, dating back from the Copper Age to World War I.

Tel Megiddo was the location where Josiah, the king of Judah, famously fought the Battle of Megiddo in 609 B.C. The Jewish leader was defeated and killed by the army of Egyptian Pharaoh Necho II.

The story of the battle is told in the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament, but Megiddo is also referenced in the Book of Revelation. The site is referred to as "Armageddon," closely related to the Hebrew phrase "Har Megiddo," which translates to "mountain of Megiddo."

Megiddo is said to be the location where the prophesied Battle of Armageddon will be fought between the kings of Earth and God. But while archaeologists cannot prove that the site will be the location of a battle during the end times, they believe they may have found proof of the Old Testament story.

Dr. Assaf Kleiman, a senior lecturer at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, told Fox News Digital he believes the pottery fragments belonged to the Egyptian army that defeated Josiah.

The findings consist of "significant quantities" of Egyptian-produced broken vessels dating back to the late 7th century B.C., close to when the Battle of Megiddo was fought.

Instead of the fragments being proof of a trade relationship, Kleiman believes that they were brought in by Egyptian troops rather than being imported into the territory.

The expert cited the "crude production technique, functional mixture, and the lack of similar evidence in nearby settlements," as key reasons why they believe the artifacts were brought in by an army.

"The exposure of so many Egyptian vessels, including fragments of serving bowls, cooking pots, and storage jars, is an exceptional phenomenon," Kleiman explained.

"We, therefore, understand it as representing Egyptians who settled at Megiddo in the late 7th century, maybe as part of an army force that arrived at the site following the collapse of the Assyrian Empire," he added.

He also said that the Grecian pottery may be proof of Greek mercenaries in the Egyptian army, which was not unheard of at the time.

"Service of Greeks, probably from western Anatolia, in the Egyptian army of the 26th Dynasty is referred to in both Greek [from Herodotus] and Assyrian sources," Kleiman noted.

"The possibility of the participation of such mercenaries in the killing of Josiah may be hinted in prophetic works in the Bible."

Kleiman also explained that the Egyptian settlement at Megiddo "did not last long" and that the building where the artifacts were found was likely abandoned decades later. The broken vessels were probably left as litter.

Though Kleiman noted that there's no non-biblical proof of Josiah, Kleiman asserted that the king's existence "has never been doubted in biblical and historical scholarship."

"We can also note that literacy was more common in that era, and thus his reign was most likely documented by scribes who witnessed the events in real time," Kleiman said. "Evidence for Necho’s presence in the Levant and the battle against the Babylonians in Carchemish, where the Egyptians lost, is documented in the Babylonian chronicles as well as in the Bible, in Jeremiah and Kings."

Archaeologists plan to do more research into the site's Bronze Age roots.

Kleiman also found evidence to believe that some members of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel were not all expelled to Mesopotamia in the 7th century B.C. and actually may have stayed in Megiddo.

"Our excavations demonstrated continuous production (and consumption) of similar locally-style vessels at Megiddo, especially cooking pots, also under imperial rule," he explained. "This suggests that the social fabric of Megiddo in the Assyrian Era must have been composed of a significant portion of local populations, who were not expelled by the Assyrians and who lived alongside deportees brought in by the empire."