Applications Open for Cook County’s Free Tech Training Course for Veterans

The 11-week program helps place veterans in tech industry jobs upon completion

The Cook County Department of Veterans Affairs (CCVA) is accepting applications for the Chicago Cook Technology Academy (Tech Academy), a free training program designed to provide veterans with critical career skills in the technology industry. Cook County has partnered with Microsoft and National Able Network to offer this 11-week course. Applications are due Sunday, April 7, 2024 at midnight.

Veterans who live in Chicago or suburban Cook County are encouraged to apply for the Tech Academy, which is hosting five sessions through 2024. This application period is for the fourth training session. The first session took place in October 2022. The third session just ended. The first two sessions produced a total of 20 graduates, with 14 individuals gaining post-training employment. The average starting pay for graduates entering the tech workforce is more than $26 per hour.

Tech Academy programming is based on curriculum developed for Microsoft’s Software and Systems Academy and has been expanded into Cook County by Microsoft at no cost. Cook County represents the second region in the nation to offer this programming. The Tech Academy is available to all qualifying veterans but is tailored for service members transitioning out of the military.

Participants are trained in cloud development or cloud administration by National Able Network’s IT Career Lab expert instructors. Those who complete the course will have the opportunity to interview for full-time, entry-level IT positions with the Cook County Department of Veterans Affairs’ network of IT hiring partners. 

Cook County allocated $750,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding for this program.

For more information about the Tech Academy and to apply, visit: www.cookcountyil.gov/service/chicago-cook-technology-academy