Curriculum Development

The initial launch of the IT flexible apprenticeship will begin by adapting Columbus State’s cybersecurity associate degree for students to enter the workforce in positions such as cybersecurity technicians, networking professionals, and IT support technicians at the partner organizations.

The project will pilot the flexible apprenticeship model with the cybersecurity associate degree program. It will scale throughout the project period by adding new employer partners, as well as exploring the development of an apprenticeship program for programming and data analytics in the information technology sector.

Plans include creating an industry leadership team, leveraging the existing Workforce Advisory Council at Columbus State. This team will be dedicated to supporting project implementation and will include employer partners who will be participating in the pilot phase of the project. Partners who have committed to pilot the program include Nationwide Financial, JPMorgan Chase, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, State Auto, Wilson Bohannon, Accenture, Honda, and Huntington Bank. The project team will work with these companies and additional partners to design customized apprenticeship solutions for each company’s needs.

Learning From Manufacturing Work Study

The first key component to success identified in Columbus State’s existing manufacturing work study program was an alternate advising schedule so the students’ first year focuses on technical coursework. This adapted schedule prepares the students to add value to their host organization on day one. The project design includes evaluating the plan of study to reflect this strategy through a combined effort of faculty expertise and industry input.

The work-study model in manufacturing includes three days of work and two days of academics per week. Often, the academics have the option to be offered directly on the employer site. As a new model, the IT flexible apprenticeship program will need to evaluate the individual student and employer needs to create a schedule design, as well as organize the student timeline and process. This will create replicable, but flexibly customizable, apprenticeship options for both students and employers.

Articulation Agreement

The School of Information Technology at the University of Cincinnati offers ABET-accredited undergraduate degrees, competency-based graduate credentialing, and the Early College IT program. Columbus State’s project team will work with a university IT program to create articulation pathways. The grant-supported work will implement a seamless pathway to an associate degree, and then to completion of a bachelor’s degree in information technology, all within the community college campus.