The Northwest Arkansas Council today announced the launch of a new Information Technology (IT) Generalist apprenticeship program for Northwest Arkansas.
The Council partnered with Northwest Technical Institute (NWTI), the Arkansas Center for Data Sciences (ACDS) and the Office of Skills Development (OSD) – a division of the Arkansas Department of Commerce to develop the program.
The apprenticeship program is scheduled to begin in January 2021. The program is available at no cost to selected participants. Due to the flexible nature of the program, a formal application deadline has not been set. Applicants are encouraged to apply soon as only a limited number of applications will be accepted.
The Northwest Arkansas Council is building a diverse network of IT workforce development efforts to assist employers in the region in filling IT jobs. The Council identified the primary IT needs of regional employers to be software development, cybersecurity, data science/analyst and general IT.
“This new apprenticeship program is an exciting addition to the Council’s existing efforts to build the IT talent pipeline in Northwest Arkansas,” said Joe Rollins, Northwest Arkansas workforce development director. “Our region is booming with demand for tech talent, and the earlier we can get our young people launched on this career path, the better it will be for our region and our state.”
NWTI developed the technical instruction of the program in collaboration with ACDS and OSD. People from across the state can enter this program and receive worldwide industry training, labs and testing to receive credentials with Comp Tia (ITF, A+, Network + and Security +).
“Over the past thirty days, we have worked in partnership to bring about this exciting new certified apprenticeship,” said Michael Dewberry, apprenticeship and training director at NWTI.
In addition to the new apprenticeship, the partners are currently working on plans to offer pre-apprenticeship opportunities to high school students in Northwest Arkansas.
“This is yet another building block in the Governor’s Computer Science Initiative,” said Cody Waits, director of OSD. “Both the IT Generalist apprenticeships and the coming high school pre-apprenticeships will help prepare numerous Arkansans to enjoy the benefits of a career in IT.”
“We are thrilled to announce these new steps forward for Arkansans to receive training and join the IT workforce,” said Bill Yoder, executive director of ACDS.
For more information about the program, contact NWTI at 479-751-8824 or info@nwti.edu.
Companies interested in accepting apprentices in the IT Generalist category should contact Joe Rollins at joe@nwacouncil.org.
