Safal Partners Awarded US DOL Contract to Expand Cybersecurity Apprenticeship

HOUSTON, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Safal Partners, a national management consulting firm and recognized leader in apprenticeship, has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to serve as the National Industry Intermediary expanding registered apprenticeship (RA) for cybersecurity occupations. Safal's cyber apprenticeship leadership work is included in the recently announced White House National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy (NCWES).

"Safal is proud to lead apprenticeship expansion work with DOL as part of the Administration's NCWES and create a stronger, more diverse cybersecurity talent pipeline," said Mukta Pandit, Safal Partners President. "We look forward to working with public and private sector employers, as well as education and workforce partners, on developing RA programs that meet their rapidly growing talent needs while also increasing Americans' access to programs that provide high-quality career pathways for critical cyber roles that pay family-sustaining wages."

Safal's new contract follows and supports the President's National Cybersecurity Strategy. The $12.8 million contract is a five-year term including base and four option years. The DOL contract announcement builds on the firm's successful execution of a previous DOL cybersecurity apprenticeship contract through which Safal supported the registration of more than 1,400 new apprentices in cyber and tech occupations in two years. Seventy-eight percent of those new apprentices were from underrepresented populations including women, minorities, veterans, and people with disabilities.

Safal will be convening employers and apprenticeship stakeholders nationwide through 10 state and local Apprenticeship Accelerators and providing private and public sector employers with no-cost expert technical assistance in developing, launching, and sustaining cyber and tech RA programs. Safal also offers employers the option of joining its own national DOL-approved RA program, which includes immediately accessible, industry-built, credential-aligned online training for their apprentices and access to a network of education and workforce partners for long-term program success. To learn more visit Safal's cyber RA program website (https://cyber.safalpartners.com/).

Safal Partners is a mission-driven consulting firm working at the nexus of education and workforce. The firm serves the U.S. Department of Labor in expanding and modernizing RA through several DOL contracts and grants, including leadership of the DOL National Industry Intermediary for Cybersecurity Apprenticeship and the DOL RA TA Center of Excellence for Strategic Partnerships and System Alignment. For more information, please visit safalpartners.com.

SOURCE Safal Partners