Courtesy of North Carolina A&T State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is among four universities selected by the Department of Defense (DOD) to pilot the Defense Civilian Training Corps (DCTC). The primary goal of the program is to equip the next generation of national security leaders through mentorship and professional development. N.C. A&T is the only historically Black university piloting the highly selective program, along with Purdue University, The University of Arizona and Virginia Tech.
The first DCTC Scholar cohort will begin August 2023, with approximately 80 high-achieving students from the universities representing various disciplines exploring a “direct pathway into the DOD civilian workforce.”
“DCTC is an excellent opportunity for N.C. A&T to meet a critical civil service workforce need. Unique in its recruitment of STEM and non-STEM students, Cohort I will be granted full scholarships and be oriented to federal employment through the various Department of Defense agencies and laboratories,” said Melissa Hodge-Penn, Ph.D., A&T’s associate vice chancellor for research and economic development.
“The prospect of being mentored and the experiential learning the scholars receive will advance their job skills and career development as future federal employees.”
Scholars will enroll in one course per semester, participate in challenge projects and other “interdisciplinary, experiential learning opportunities” to solve real-life problems and will be placed in DOD laboratories and organizations for summer internships. After graduating, participants will become full-time employees within the agency.
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment will lead the DCTC, partnering with other government offices and military departments to successfully pilot the program.
According to the department, “the experience uses three key elements to educate and attract the next generation of acquisition professionals that will deliver game-changing capabilities to our military … students will engage in active learning about public service within the DOD, as well as digital literacy, innovation, and how they will contribute individually and as teams within the defense acquisition system.”
Following the program’s kickoff hosted at the Pentagon in early June, A&T hosted leadership from the Acquisition Innovation Research Center as part of the tour’s first stop visiting each pilot universities.
