It was a changing of the guard Nov. 14 as the first class of five military veterans graduated from the Disabled Veterans Cybersecurity Apprenticeship, a pilot collaboration between the N.C. Department of Information Technology and other state agencies, Raleigh-based IT firm ISG, and several educational organizations in the state.
Ten other disabled military veterans are waiting in the wings to take their place, expected to start working for the state while also taking classes in computer science and cybersecurity later this year.
The graduation ceremony at NC State University’s McKimmon Center marked the end of the two-year apprenticeship, an experience that graduate Miguel Ramirez called “a blink of an eye” considering the amount of knowledge he gained.
“We all gained a holistic perspective of how cybersecurity works,” added Clark Crowell.
In his comments before the graduates and their guests, State Chief Information Officer Eric Boyette said there was no way he was going to miss the ceremony. “We watched these people grow,” he said. “I just love this program; I can’t talk enough about it.”
Boyette said he knew early on that the program was such a success that it would have to continue with at least double the number of apprentices.
Indeed, ISG President Tony Marshall announced that a new class of 10 disabled veterans have been selected to join the program for another two years.
The apprenticeship helps disabled military veterans train for a second career in cybersecurity. The veterans work eight-hour days Monday through Thursday for DIT and other state agencies, earning a regular salary and benefits. They meet at ISG on Fridays for further training.
The completion of the program also makes them eligible to take the examination for and obtain a CISSP – Certified Information System Security Professional Associate certification. Marshall said that two of the graduates have already landed cybersecurity jobs at the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. ISG is helping the other three graduates find new positions, likely in the banking industry.
As Marshall said in a previous Connections article, the apprenticeship is “win-win all the way around.” State government and businesses gain a well-trained, reliable, and dedicated workforce in cybersecurity, a field that does not yet have enough qualified workers, and veterans receive training and expertise in a rising and lucrative IT field.
The graduates are Vicky Steward, Miguel Ramirez, Maurice Smith, Zach Ventra and Clark Crowell.