The Washington-based Public Technology Institute (PTI), the University of North Carolina School of Government’s Center for Public Technology in Chapel Hill, N.C., and the Florida Institute of Government at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla., have created a program to train and certify chief information officers. The 12-month course offered by the Consortium for State and Local Government Technology Leadership Development will include 240 professional development hours on topics such as what local governments want and need from information technology, the role of the CIO and emerging trends.

Course participants will attend five classes and complete other projects online. “Florida State University and the University of North Carolina have strong educational programs for local officials in their respective states,” PTI Executive Director Alan Shark said in a statement. “By teaming with PTI, we are able to adapt various components of these outstanding programs with new features and content and offer a truly national professional development and certification program.”

More information on the program and registration fees is available at www.pti.org/index.php/ptiee1/more/350/.