6/5/2002 -- The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), which received a $550,000 grant from the federal government last year to launch an IT apprenticeship program, announced last month that the project is currently in pilot phase.

Entry-level IT professionals are now working as apprentices for at least two U.S. companies: Henkels & McCoyIT, a national utility construction company, and Henckle, N.J.-based Exodus IT Services.

The apprentices get paid, hands-on experience as well as supplemental technical instruction. The program emphasizes CompTIA's entry-level IT certifications, such as A+ and Network+.

"The apprenticeship approach is an economical and efficient way of developing skilled and competent IT workers," said Neill Hopkins, CompTIA vice president of workforce development. "People learn by doing, not just by sitting and listening. We determined the best preparation for IT to be a combination of classroom instruction, on-the-job training and demonstration of progress through professional certification."

When the program launches nationally (expected later this year), CompTIA said it will register the apprenticeships with the U.S. Department of Labor"to ensure, through standards, that working apprentices, program sponsors and employers follow 'best practices' and receive maximum benefit from the apprenticeship methodology." Employers will then be able to modify these standards to develop custom programs for their IT workers.

"With a federally approved program in place, there will be no misalignment between what a company expects and what a company gets. For the company it's a pay-for-performance process; for the worker it's a clear, unambiguous path toward a lifelong career," said Hopkins.

CompTIA recently completed research which it says shows the need for the program, but did not say how many employers it estimates will participate.

CertCities.com will bring you more on this story as it develops. For more information on CompTIA, visit http://www.comptia.org. - B.N.