NSWC Crane, Purdue offering cybersecurity apprenticeships

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – Purdue University and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division are teaming up to offer a new program to further develop cybersecurity capabilities. Purdue says the Cyber Apprenticeship Program is the result of months of collaboration to develop educational outcomes that align with the Department of Defense’s cybersecurity staff guidelines.

The university says the program will support the Naval Sea Systems Command Warfare centers and aims to support the demand for cybersecurity professionals across the nation.

“By becoming a Department of Labor-registered apprenticeship provider, NSWC Crane will have access to P-CAP candidates from across the nation,” said Patricia Herndon, department director of expeditionary warfare at NSWC Crane. “I am also pleased to serve on the Women and Minority Advisory Council for the program to support the advancement of underrepresented individuals in cybersecurity.”

The U.S. Department of Labor and Training Administration awarded a job training grant to Purdue to develop an avenue to higher education for 5,000 cybersecurity apprentices by 2023. Purdue says the program offers online degree programs, certifications, a leadership academy, and on-the-job-training for U.S. citizens and green card holders.

By leveraging the P-CAP program, NSWC Crane will train its current and future workforce for what the university calls critical cybersecurity jobs. The apprenticeship program model uses Purdue’s education, faculty, and academic standards.

NSWC Crane Director of Engagement Kyle Werner said, “We see the program launch as also supporting the regional ecosystem by including our defense industry partners, enabling them to increase their capacity to support NSWC Crane and the defense industry at large.”