At Blue Ridge Community College, our goal is to connect students with local companies and provide opportunities for employment. Our apprenticeship program includes industry-recognized certificates from Google and CompTIA, along with credit studies in Information Technology.
Interested? Prospective students and employers, please fill out our contact form and we’ll get back to you right away!
BRCC now offers a Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program that provides the necessary education for students to start work as apprentices in the cybersecurity field. The College has also teamed up with a private company to provide local businesses an expedited state Registered Apprenticeship application process and grant money for qualifying businesses to take on new apprentices!
BRCC is working towards the Center of Academic Excellence (CAE2Y) certification in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security.
Students
Learn Information Technology and cybersecurity techniques by taking classes online with BRCC. After completion of a short educational and job training program, get real hands-on experience with a local employer. The apprenticeship program courses provide a complete background for career changers with an interest in IT, and those people with some IT employment or educational background. The program is also an excellent continuation of college-level studies in IT.
Apprentices
Who should apply?
People who have completed high school (or equivalent) and are seeking cybersecurity training while working in a cybersecurity role. Selected applicants will benefit from grant-reduced tuition, learning materials, synchronous and asynchronous online training, and included CompTIA certification exam voucher.
Qualifications for the program are noted below.
Information Sessions
Want to learn more? Attend an information session! You will have an opportunity to hear about the program, ask questions, and share your passion for cybersecurity. Come and learn how to become part of the security community and help share what you already know. You are welcome to bring a friend or family member.
Information session dates – to be announced when applications re-open.
Qualifications
- 17 or older at the beginning of the cohort track
- High school or GED equivalent
- Keen interest in Information Technology, Networking, and Cybersecurity
- US Citizen/Right to work/Work VISA
- BRCC Workforce & Continuing Education student application
- Application to the program (must be approved by Program Manager)
- Do not have an outstanding incomplete FastForward certification
- Short written application and phone or Zoom interview
- Virginia resident, minimum 1 year
Commitment
- Approximately 18 months of your time
- Successfully gain the Google IT Support Professional Certificate -or- a BRCC IT degree or Career Studies Certificate
- Pass the BRCC Apprenticeship: Security+ course and successfully gain the CompTIA Security+ certification
- 1,000 – 2,000 hours paid on-the-job training, depending on previous work experience, if you are hired as an apprentice
Courses
Below are the courses planned for the cohort tracks. We are planning to add substitutions for the Google IT Support Professional Certificate such as completed A.A.S degrees and Career Studies Certificates- contact us for more details.
Cybersecurity Technician Apprenticeship Training Track
- Google IT Support Professional Certificate – 80 hours
- Apprenticeship: Security+ with job training – 70 hours
Possible Employer Requirements Include the Knowledge of:
- Modern office practices, procedures, and equipment
- Typical modern office computer software programs such as word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation programs
- English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation
- Business mathematics and simple statistics
- Principles of record-keeping
- Organizational principles and relationships
Employers
To assist and incentivize employers considering participating in an apprenticeship program, BRCC offers:
- Grant funding to cover the majority of costs to train employees, including course fees, textbooks, and the costs associated with the IT related certification exams
- Courses are taught online, giving employees the opportunity to complete the requisite course work outside of normal work hours
- BRCC is working in conjunction with a private company that is acting as the Registered Apprentice go-between:
- Businesses who are new to the apprentice program will receive help with the expedited application process
- In addition, the first businesses to adopt the apprenticeship program may receive up to $3,000 per student
- Courses are aligned with the “knowledge units” identified by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security (NSA/DHS), as co-sponsors of the Center of Academic Excellence for Cyber Defense – 2 Year (CAE2Y) program (Blue Ridge is working to obtain this designation in 2021).