Community College of Denver (CCD) was awarded a $250,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) to build the “Closing the Skills Gap CO-TECH IT & Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program” designed to increase certified apprenticeship programs for high-demand IT jobs. The goal of the grant is to expand paid apprenticeship programs in these key industry sectors across Colorado to a range of employers. 

The grant will be spread over four years and is designed to create 1,600 IT and cybersecurity apprenticeships between March 2020 and March 2024.  

“The need for trained IT professionals is growing rapidly and employers are struggling to keep up,” said Dr. Angelic Cole, Dean for the Center of Business, Industry, Technology, and Public Service. “There are nearly 1 million open IT positions across the nation that remains unfilled, and the goal of this grant is to prepare Coloradans for employment in these high-demand careers.” 

Supported apprenticeship occupations will include: 

• Computer User Support Specialists 
• Database Administrators 
• Information Security Analysts
• Network and Computer Systems Administrators Computer Network Architects
• Computer Network Support Specialists
• Computer Systems Analysts 

Requirements

Apprentices must be at least 16 years of age and must be enrolled at CCD. Concurrent Enrollment students are not eligible. Apprenticeships are paid positions with wages increasing as the apprentice moves through the academic program and skills and competence on the job increase.

Apprentices will receive on-the-job training in addition to their normal coursework at CCD. 

Employers looking to sponsor paid apprenticeships are encouraged to reach out to Janet Colvin, Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program Development Navigator Janet.Colvin@CCD.edu or 303.352.3144.