Spark Mindset and CompTIA Apprenticeships for Tech Team to Expand and Diversify the IT Workforce

Opportunities for individuals to train for jobs in the information technology (IT) field and for employers to build their tech talent pipelines are available in four states through the joint efforts of Spark Mindset and CompTIA Apprenticeships for Tech.

The organizations today announced their collaboration in a Registered Apprenticeship program designed to fill high-demand IT occupations by expanding training and certification opportunities, particularly for individuals and groups who are underrepresented in the current tech workforce.

Spark Mindset, a leading provider of career development training and apprenticeships in the cybersecurity industry, is delivering the new program to employers and individuals in Colorado, Louisiana, Maryland and Missouri.

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“Spark Mindset is proud to partner with CompTIA to create an exciting new career path in cybersecurity and data analytics for individuals from disadvantage communities,” said Lawrence Wagner, CEO of Spark Mindset. “Cybersecurity and Data Analytics are high wage, high demand jobs that will provide an economic impact in low-income communities, especially for BIPOC and women. This program meets our organization’s mission and, at the same time, helps companies that hire our graduates create a more diverse and equitable workforce.”

US employers listed more than 714,500 job postings for cybersecurity job roles and skills during the 12-month period between May 2021 and April 2022, according to CyberSeek, the leading source for data about supply and demand in the nation’s cybersecurity job market.

Data analytics skills are similarly in high demand as companies seek ways to mine, analyze and interpret data in a clear and consistent manner that produces better insight, leading to more informed decision making.

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“The number of job openings for cybersecurity professionals, data specialists and other tech occupations far outstrips the number of candidates,” said Amy Kardel, vice president for strategic workforce relationships at CompTIA. “Employers need to embrace new methods for filling their staffing needs. Through apprenticeships they can create a consistent pipeline of new talent from a deeper, more diverse pool of candidates.”

Training delivered through the apprenticeship program follows National Guideline Standards for specific tech job roles developed by CompTIA and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL). The USDOL selected AIR, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of education, health and the workforce, and CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the IT industry and workforce, to serve as a national Industry Intermediary for expansion of apprenticeship in tech occupations.

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