Pentagon launches cyber apprenticeship program

The initiative is part of the administration’s focus on addressing technology and cybersecurity vacancies by placing an emphasis on skill-based hiring.

The Department of Defense is launching a Cyber Registered Apprenticeship Program to accelerate its onboarding of skilled cybersecurity professionals, the agency said, part of a Trump administration push to bring non-traditional talent into the federal workforce. 

The initiative is being led through DOD’s Office of the Chief Information Officer and was first announced during a Labor Department signing ceremony on Monday for National Apprenticeship Week.

The 12-month program is slated to launch as a pilot this summer, with the Pentagon calling it “a significant first step in energizing the Department’s commitment to workforce innovation and rapidly delivering leading-edge expertise to the warfighter.”

The Pentagon said the apprenticeship is driven by a governmentwide focus on prioritizing skills-based hiring for technical- and cybersecurity-focused roles. The Office of Personnel ...