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

Fri, 02/06/2026 - 12:00

13-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 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 free 13-week course. Applications for the 10th and 11th cohorts are due by:

Friday, Feb. 20, 2026 for the cohort starting Mar. 2, 2026
Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 for the cohort starting Mar. 9, 2026

Veterans who live in Chicago or suburban Cook County are encouraged to apply for the Tech Academy. The program launched in October 2022. The first nine sessions produced 127 graduates. The average starting pay for graduates is $30.27 per hour.

Tech Academy programming is based on a curriculum developed for Microsoft’s Software and Systems Academy and has been expanded into Cook County by Microsoft at no cost. This is 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 and cloud administration by National Able Network’s IT Career Lab expert instructors.

Cook County allocated over $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for this program.

For more information about the Tech Academy and to apply, visit Chicago Cook Technology Academy.