The Daviess County Public Schools district is one of 13 in the state selected by the Kentucky Department of Education to participate in an innovative pre-apprenticeship initiative in the field of information technology (IT). The project is being spearheaded by Interapt, which KDE describes as “an award-winning technology firm that delivers innovation and opportunity as a service with a focus on workforce engagement and social impact through technology skills training and mobile software development.”
Participation in this pilot program will begin with current high school juniors (class of 2019) who have taken three or more of the following courses and who complete an assessment to measure their readiness to take this project-based programming course during their senior year:
· Computer literacy
· Digital literacy
· Introduction to programming
· Introduction to computer science
· Computational thinking
· AP computer science principles
· AP computer science
This specialized learning opportunity will be offered a part of the district’s Community Campus Engineering Academy.
Daviess County native Ankur Gopal is the chief executive officer of Interapt, based in Louisville. The company’s website, https://www.interapt.comsays: “Interapt is a technology services company that attracts and develops the best talent while providing opportunity to those traditionally excluded from technology. We strive to be part of a thriving, inclusive technology ecosystem that invests in people and communities across America.”
After completing the project-based programming (PBP) course next year, students will be eligible to sit for the IT TRACK industry certification exam; those who pass will be guaranteed an interview into Interapt’s computer programming apprenticeship program, which is officially registered with the Kentucky Labor Cabinet. Students will also be granted up to 500 hours credit toward the 2,000-hour program. Upon completion of the apprenticeship, students will earn a nationally recognized credential from the U.S. Department of Labor, opening doors for outstanding career opportunities.
To learn more about the DCPS IT education program, high school juniors may contact their college and career readiness coaches or Amanda Jerome, DCPS CCR coordinator, at 270-852-7000 or Amanda.jerome@daviess. kyschools.us
