Students at Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) will soon have the opportunity to gain hands-on IT skills and experience thanks to a new partnership with Moore Public Schools.

Moore Public Schools will provide internships to OCCC students pursuing a degree in computer science. The internship is for first and second year computer science students who are looking for college credit towards their degree, and hands-on experience in the workplace.

“There are a lot of things that are hard to teach such as soft skills, professionalism, and conflict resolution,†said Dean of Business and Information Technology (BIT) at OCCC, John Claybon. “I hope this internship opens their [students] eyes to the corporate world, and allows them to start applying their IT skills in a real world setting.â€

The internship will launch in fall 2020, and students are expected to apply and interview as they would with any other job.

“There’s a lot of companies that are looking for additional hands to come in and help with the basics such as pulling cables, setting up networks, and troubleshooting IT issues,†said Claybon. “This is a great opportunity for our students to have that face-to-face interaction, and see exactly how things work.â€

Jun Kim, Director of Technology at Moore Public Schools, is on BIT’s advisory board and provides valuable feedback on courses and programs. This feedback allows the program to ensure their degrees are up-to-date and relevant to industry.

“It’s great that students can walk into the Computer Science program, and walk out into entry-level jobs,†said Claybon. “IT is prevalent. It’s relevant across industries. It doesn’t matter what industry, or what company- IT is everywhere.â€

OCCC’s Division of Business and Information Technology Cyber/Information Security degree is recognized by the Department of Homeland Security, National Security Agency (NSA), and National Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE). Most of the BIT classes are available both online and on campus, and are a duration of 8-weeks.

Internships are readily available, and OCCC’s BIT program prides itself in partnering with some of the leading companies in the Oklahoma City area.