The Registered Apprenticeship Program solves a specific problem that most entry-level IT candidates know intimately: every job posting asks for experience, and the only way to get experience is to already have a job. The RAP breaks the loop by making the job the training itself.

How it works

You get hired as an employee by a sponsor employer before you have the full experience their role typically requires. They agree to train you in their specific environment, assign a qualified mentor, and provide the on-the-job hours the DOL requires. Infotech Academy provides the formal training component — certifications, coursework, structured learning objectives — at no cost to you. The DOL registers the whole arrangement and issues a nationally recognized Certificate of Completion at the end.

You work. You earn wages. You get certified. You finish with documented experience and recognized credentials — the two things the next job posting will ask for.

The eligibility criteria

Texas residents who are 18 or older, authorized to work in the U.S., hold a high school diploma or GED, and are genuinely trying to enter an IT career. Priority consideration goes to people who are unemployed or underemployed, veterans, justice-involved individuals, and PAP program completers who have already earned their CompTIA certifications.

The program is specifically designed for people who don’t have the experience that typical IT job postings require. If you already have two years of IT experience, the RAP isn’t your fastest path — direct employment is. If you have zero to one year and keep hitting the experience wall, the RAP is worth investigating.

The RAP isn’t training with a job at the end. It’s a job with training built in. That distinction matters because it changes your legal status, your income during training, and what you can tell your next employer you did for 12 to 24 months.

What the roles look like

Apprenticeship tracks depend on which employer sponsors are active in any given cohort. Common tracks include IT support specialist, network support technician, cybersecurity operations analyst, cloud infrastructure technician, and junior systems administrator. The role is defined by the employer; the certification path is defined by the track.

The application process

Apply at infotechacademy.online/rap, complete an eligibility screening, and if you’re a match for an available employer sponsor, move into the interview and matching process. The timeline from application to first day varies by employer availability — typically four to eight weeks. The worst outcome of applying is learning the timing isn’t right and getting clarity on what you’d need to do to qualify later.