Austin Community College District (ACC) faculty are accelerating the work at the Army Futures Command (AFC) Software Factory at the Rio Grande Campus. The training program is among the first of its kind to upskill hidden tech talent within the military. It features specialized courses to train students and soldiers in three tracks: agile software development, platform engineering, and product management and design.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis work is expanding our partnership with the Army Futures Command, and it puts ACC at the forefront of helping to solve the problems of the future. It\u2019s something you don\u2019t see happening anywhere else. Together, we\u2019re looking at national issues and future needs, and our expert ACC faculty are the ones leading the charge,\u201d says ACC Chancellor Dr. Richard Rhodes. “I couldn\u2019t be more proud of the excellence ACC faculty continue to demonstrate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ACC Computer Science and Information Technology faculty are now teaching soldiers in a four-month, full-time program. The boot camp style program is equivalent to 24 credit hours and provides a direct pathway to two-year programs at ACC, as well as the college\u2019s two new bachelor’s degrees in Cybersecurity and Software Development programs. The specialized training program also connects soldiers and students with industry partners such as VMware and Google.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Austin Community College has served as an exceptional partner in our pursuit to upskill soldiers and prototype a future force design by leveraging best practices from academia and the tech sector,\u201d says Lt. Col. Vito Errico, Director of the Army Software Factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently, 15 soldiers are enrolled in the program, and several have already expressed plans to enroll in ACC\u2019s bachelor\u2019s degree in Software Development in fall 2023. That number is expected to grow as the next cohorts expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n