iQ4 and University of Cincinnati Partnership Bringing 3,000+ Students Through Apprenticeship Program
Background
The University of Cincinnati had a time-sensitive need for providing internships and cooperative education experiences for its students majoring in information technology and cybersecurity. When the pandemic occurred, there were limited jobs at physical locations. The University of Cincinnati partnered with iQ4 to create cybersecurity virtual apprenticeship programs to aid in student professional development during unprecedented circumstances.
The University of Cincinnati
Ranked in 2021 as the #4 cooperative education institution by U.S. News and World Report, the University of Cincinnati provides internship and cooperative education experiences to over 10,000 students annually. Together with iQ4, they developed virtual apprenticeships that integrated live technical mentorships from industry professionals.
The Need
The University of Cincinnati wanted to provide its students with pre-apprenticeships in cybersecurity, leading to career pathways and great jobs.
The Solution
iQ4’s CWA Cybersecurity Digital Apprenticeship program integrates technical instruction and on-the-job training. iQ4, is a national sponsor of the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) apprenticeship program
“The students applied a national cybersecurity framework to an industry-led case study. The mentors helped them identify technical deliverables and communicate deliverables to senior management through a virtual simulation. Students who completed the program received industry-recognized credentials from a Department of Labor-recognized program, and the program’s cost was covered b the federal grant provided to the University by the Department of Labor. Students can use the certificate of completion they receive as a pathway into a registered apprenticeship.”
The CWA (a division of iQ4) provides 8 - 12 week pre-apprenticeship programs equating to up to 1 year of on-the-job experience, in conjunction with universities and employers. This results in (1) a student acquiring a macro-credential for a DoL Occupation and (2) a pathway into a cybersecurity analyst apprenticeship.
The Macro-Credential: Related Technical Instruction (RTI) and On-the-Job Training (OJT)
RTI: Students/learners acquire RTI by taking courses from their University and/or from taking technical training courses from professional organizations and earning certificates.
OJT: Student/learners become interns and pre-apprentices and acquire OJT by taking courses through iQ4’s Cybersecurity Assessment program. The OJT acquired results in earning a Macro-Credential.
The Use-Case
iQ4 started offering projects for the University of Cincinnati in Spring 2019. There were three iQ4 projects offered – Cybersecurity, Cloud Technology, and the Dark Web. These courses were connected with the University of Cincinnati Internship practice development courses with cohorts between 40 and 150 students.
The University of Cincinnati needed to keep continuity by channeling students into its cooperative education and internship program, and then the pandemic hit in March 2020. Students could not get jobs with employers in the greater-Cincinnati area as there was no physical work location to go to.
It was an easy and transparent switch from iQ4 physical classroom sessions to all virtual sessions using Zoom. Mentors and employers joined the weekly sessions at a pre-determined time. Each course consisted of a team of 6 students. Each student selected a cybersecurity job role defined by the NICE Framework. Students worked on use cases and project challenges prepared by employers and prepared deliverables that were presented to the mentors for critique and assessment. Students acquired up to 350 hours of on-the-job training due to the knowledge, skills, and abilities they acquired by completing the iQ4 course.
Results
During the past two years, over 800 University of Cincinnati students in information technology and cybersecurity majors have completed the iQ4 Cybersecurity Digital Apprenticeship program and have landed great jobs. With another 3,000+ planned over the next three years.
iQ4 overall results, past four years (across all academic institutions):
6,000+ students completed the program
62% of students obtained an internship
45% of students are women
25% of students have full-time cybersecurity jobs
Students also earn a Macro-Credential in Cybersecurity and are ready on day one for a job as a cybersecurity analyst, having acquired the knowledge, skills, and abilities for that occupation.