The fields of cyber security and medical coding will be added to the apprenticeship program run by Central New Mexico Community College, the school announced Friday.
The two additions to the New Mexico Information Technology Apprenticeship Program were recently approved by the state Department of Workforce Solutions.
CNM is looking for employers who “could be well-served by apprentices in these two fields,” the school said in a news release.
“The college has dozens of apprentice candidates lined up and ready to support the cyber security and medical coding needs of local employers,” the news release said.
About 30 people already are serving apprenticeships in other disciplines with another 10 set to begin soon, according to a CNM spokesman. About a quarter were already CNM students with the rest recruited through outreach efforts at job fairs and in “under-represented communities.”
The internship program for IT careers is funded by a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.
CNM was among 46 institutions nationwide to receive part of the Labor Department’s $175 million American Apprenticeship Grants Initiative in 2016. Apprentices get on-the-job training, take CNM classes funded through the grant and receive industry certifications such as Network+ and Security+.
The goal of CNM’s grant is to train 300 apprentices over five years as a way to boost the IT workforce in New Mexico.
The grant also provides money to employers to offset training costs.
Apprentices are assigned career and academic coaches. The first cohort of apprentices will graduate from the program next month.
Employers who want to participate in the program can review résumés for apprenticeship applicants and decide who they would like to interview.
For more information, go to nmitap.org.
