The National IT Apprenticeship System (NITAS), a joint program between CompTIA and the U.S. Department of Labor, provides workers with the training and skills highlighted as important by President Bush in his State of the Union address. NITAS offers apprenticeship tracks in areas such as IT generalist, project management, and information security to provide on-the-job training combined with classroom instruction. This helps workers gain new skills and allows companies to have a skilled IT workforce for continued productivity and competitiveness.

1. January 21, 2004 04:00 PM Eastern Standard Time
OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 21, 2004--The
National IT Apprenticeship System (NITAS), an innovative program
delivered jointly by the Computing Technology Industry Association
(CompTIA) and the U.S. Department of Labor, is providing workers with the
training and education President Bush says is needed to help America
become more productive.
In his State of the Union speech Tuesday, Mr. Bush stressed that "as technology transforms the way
almost every job is done, America becomes more productive, and workers need new skills... We must
respond by helping more Americans gain the skills to find good jobs in our new economy."
The President reinforced his remarks today at Mesa (Arizona) Community College, where he led a
discussion on jobs for the 21st century.
Martin Bean, chairman of CompTIA's public policy committee, moderated the panel discussion. Neill
Hopkins, vice president, workforce development and training, CompTIA, also participated in the
program.
"We are pleased and proud to be working closely with the Administration in offering programs that help
US workers get the training and skills necessary to power America's technological prowess," said John
Venator, president and chief executive officer, CompTIA. "NITAS is an example of CompTIA's
leadership in the training and development of current and future U.S. tech workers. We want to thank
President Bush and the Department of Labor for their commitment to this goal, and for the real
progress they've already accomplished."
National IT Apprenticeship System from CompTIA
Answers President's Call to Create New Opportunities for
America's Technology Workers

2. The technology field continues to have some of the country's fastest-growing occupations. The Bureau
of Labor Statistics projects increases of 82 percent in the number of positions for network and
computer systems administrators; and a 97 percent rise for computer support specialists, between
2000 and 2010. It also predicts job growth for software engineers of up to 100 percent, depending on
area of expertise, for the same time period.
"IT skills are critical to the competitiveness of virtually every U.S. industry, and the development of a
skilled, highly-trained IT workforce offers a substantial opportunity to boost American
competitiveness," said Bean, chief operating officer, New Horizons Worldwide.
"The IT field supports virtually every business and every industry in the flow of vital information and
communications with the potential for bringing continued productivity gains through automation," Bean
added. "It does not require a tremendous leap of faith to conclude that productivity and quality gains in
the IT workforce can have a substantial economic multiplier. Programs such as NITAS are
establishing the framework to help American workers and the companies that employ them become
more secure, innovative and profitable."
NITAS provides the tools and infrastructure that benefit new technology workers entering the field;
current IT workers in need of retraining; the educational institutions that deliver classroom instruction;
and the companies that employ the newly trained and re-trained works.
Through NITAS, new IT workers become productive quickly with minimal start-up periods and with
little or no re-work. Existing IT workers learn new jobs and skills, enabling them to adapt to new
technology and innovation more quickly and leverage those opportunities to secure competitive
advantage for the organization. Employers have the tools to match job requirements with educational
content. Educational institutions have the opportunity to extend their mission into the workplace to
deliver lifelong learning to keep IT requirements aligned with business goals.
"NITAS strengthens the linkages between workforce investment and the nation's educational
systems," CompTIA's Hopkins said. "Research conducted by the Department of Labor and by
CompTIA indicates that on-the-job training is much more effective when combined with classroom
instruction than when either is delivered on its own. The combination of structured on-the-job training
delivered under the guidance of an experienced worker, and complementary related classroom
instruction ensures a worker's employability and competency."
Currently three apprenticeship tracks are available: IT Generalist, IT Project Management Level 2 and
IT Project Management Level 3.
All three concentrations consist of a minimum number of hours of classroom instruction, on-the-job
instruction, mentored skills validation and industry certification. The structured, supervised on-the-job
learning component involves at least 2,000 hours depending on the occupation. The classroom
component consists of a minimum of 144 hours of instruction.
Apprenticeship tracks planned for later this year include information assurance and security, IT
enterprise management, database, web e-commerce, and network specialization.
About CompTIA

3. CompTIA is a global trade association representing the business interests of the information
technology industry. For more than 22 years CompTIA has provided research, networking and
partnering opportunities to its more than 19,000 members in 89 countries. The association is involved
in developing standards and best practices, and influencing the political, economic and educational
arenas that impact IT worldwide. More information is at www.comptia.org.
Contacts
CompTIA
Steven M. Ostrowski, 630-678-8468
Mobile: 630-935-0790
sostrowski@comptia.org