Computer Technicians' Apprenticeship Program

The Augusta County School Board’s apprenticeship program for computer technicians became effective on July 1, 2007.  This voluntary program establishes guidelines for computer technicians to attain higher pay as well as an official certificate granted by the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Division of Registered Apprenticeship.  The program rewards both competence and persistence since technicians enrolled in the program must demonstrate a large degree of both.  The primary benefits of the school division are, first, the ability to retain valuable employees who otherwise might leave a traditionally lower-paying school division job for a better-paying one in the private sector, and second, the ability to attract better-qualified candidates by offering an objective, clearly-defined path to better pay. 

The pay raises offered in the program accompany accomplishment at three different levels of competency.  These levels have no formal name, but for convenience and ease-of-understanding, we will call them Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3.  These three tiers are mileposts, so to speak, along the way to completion of the full apprenticeship program and the granting of the certification of Master Computer Technician.  Tier 2 is more difficult to attain that Tier 1, and Tier 3 is more difficult than Tier 2.  The pay raise for successfully completing each tier’s requirements, respectively, is 5%, 10%, and 15%. The raise is permanent and in addition to any other raise the employee might receive during the course of each year’s contract renewal. 

The program’s requirements consist of elements from four areas:

  • Core courses (classes available at Valley Vocational Technical Center)

  • Demonstration of technical competency (most often by passing a qualified certification test)

  • On-the-job training (OJT) time (some of which the supervisor, at his discretion, may waive)

  • Supervisory recommendation (most often as a result of an acceptable annual performance review.