As the government and private sector continue to battle what feels like an uphill climb against cybercrimes, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) and AT&T have partnered together to create a new two-year Information Technology (IT) apprenticeship program to help fill the gap in the industry. This program has the opportunity to help meets a huge demand for jobs in both the federal and private sectors. Federal agencies have a unique responsibility as they are trying to maintain national security by filling these roles.
The AT&T and NOVA PRogram
As part-time AT&T employees, participating apprentices will take classes at NOVA’s Reston complex while on-the-job training will combine in-person and virtual training at AT&T’s Oakton facility. The training curriculum is designed to be completed in two years while student participants have their background clearances processed. The federal government will sponsor these security clearances while apprentices are being trained in the program.
Those who complete the program will graduate with 2,000 hours of on-the-job training in technical, soft skills, lab work and related skills. They will also be required and supported to achieve 5 industry certifications in A+, Network+, Security+, CCNA and ITIL. These are established and highly sought information technology training programs in IT technical, operational, program and asset management. Apprentices who successfully complete the technical training and are approved for a federal government security clearance are expected to transition to full-time employment at AT&T and support its work for federal agencies.
AT&T and Howard Community College
And this isn’t the first program AT&T has created. It builds on the success they have seen at Howard Community College (HCC). In the program at HCC, students prepare for an IT career earning not only industry certification but also receiving a much-needed security clearance. They offer four different apprenticeship programs where students gain industry experience while they take courses and work with local employers.
Jill Singer, vice president of defense and national security at AT&T said, “We’ve seen success with AT&T Catapult at Howard Community College and believe this new program will build on that success. With NOVA, we’re offering opportunities for students that might not otherwise be available to them – while creating an accelerated path to match trained skilled IT talent to the needs of our federal agency customers.”
“Identifying and hiring qualified information technology talent continues to be a challenge for federal agencies. In particular, National Security agencies face challenges such as high-level security clearances and a need for specific IT skill sets which can make it even harder for them to grow their talent base,” said Singer. “Our new IT Apprenticeship program with Northern Virginia Community College expands on the success we’re having at Howard County Community College and allows us to further help agencies address their specific entry-level IT talent needs to deliver their missions.”
Apprenticeship Fills the Talent Gap
And this is good news for students and for agencies looking for employees trained in IT. According to CompTIA, U.S. employers seeking to hire IT professionals averaged 850,000 quarterly job postings in 2020, and it is projected these postings will double versus overall employment in the U.S. economy from 2020 to 2030.
The location of NOVA is strategic to the apprenticeship program since over half of the state’s IT jobs are located in Northern Virginia. There are projections that more than 11,000 IT jobs will need to be filled in the region each year over the next decade.
Steve Partridge, the vice president of strategy, research, and workforce innovation at NOVA said, “Information technology jobs in our region are projected to grow on average, 1.5 percent each year over the next decade – three times the regional average for all jobs – and we currently have more information technology jobs open in Northern Virginia than people qualified to fill these critical roles. Building the IT talent pipeline for the Northern Virginia region is crucial and NOVA is proud to partner with AT&T to provide an innovative opportunity for our current and former students to launch their IT careers.”
The program began taking applications Aug 26. All applications must be filed before September 23. Informational sessions explaining the program will be offered virtually August 30 and September 1. Classes will begin in January 2022. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, be American citizens, and residents of Virginia to register.
