Corey Smith, a Cybersecurity Support Technician Registered Apprentice through CyberWyoming and First National Bank of Gillette, graduated from the Department of Labor approved program after just over a year of study and on-the-job learning, becoming the fastest graduate in the history of CyberWyoming’s program.

“I’m grateful for the support and guidance I’ve received throughout this journey. This achievement isn’t just mine—it reflects the incredible mentors, Laura Baker and Jeff Grimes and team who’ve been instrumental in my success. I’m excited to keep learning and contributing to the cybersecurity community,” said Smith.

There are over 1,100 job openings related to cybersecurity in Wyoming, according to Cyberseek.org. Through its initiatives, FNB Gillette is helping strengthen the state’s pipeline of skilled information technology professionals.

FNB Gillette Invests in Wyoming’s Cyber Workforce

“At First National Bank of Gillette, we believe investing in cybersecurity talent is essential for the future of our organization and our community. The apprenticeship program not only equips professionals like Corey Smith with the technical skills needed to protect our systems but also fosters a culture of continuous learning and innovation. We’re proud to support initiatives that strengthen Wyoming’s cybersecurity workforce and help our team stay ahead of emerging threats,” said Jeff Grimes, VP & IT Administrator, First National Bank of Gillette

Apprenticeship Program Builds Broad Technical Expertise

The Cybersecurity Technician Apprenticeship encourages mastery through eight job functions. The job functions focus on developing security policies and protocols, desktop support for end users, network management and operations, server management, detection and prevention of threats, risk management and business continuity, identifying suspicious activity on the network, and responding to cyberattacks with defensive strategies.

CyberWyoming sponsors three Department of Labor approved Registered Apprenticeship programs. The IT Specialist, for entry level professionals, and Cybersecurity Support Technician, for more advanced employees were developed for technical professionals. These apprenticeship training programs were developed in 2017 and 2018 and have now been adopted by other organizations nationwide. The third Registered Apprenticeship program, the Cybersecurity Business Counselor (CBC) occupation, was developed in 2023 to help business advisors upskill and incorporate cybersecurity into their day to day advising strategies. The CBC program remains proprietary to CyberWyoming.

Registered Apprenticeships Expand to Meet Modern Needs

“Registered apprenticeship isn’t just for plumbing, welding, and electrical anymore. In our digitally connected age, it must include technical professions, business, and cybersecurity,” said Laura Baker, CyberWyoming Executive Director, a statewide nonprofit organization based in Laramie.

The CyberWyoming technical Registered Apprenticeship programs are free for any employer willing to technically mentor a new professional. As a part of the program, CyberWyoming requires each apprentice to undergo soft skills training on such topics as strategic planning for tech to conflict management and more.

“I’m grateful for the support and guidance I received throughout this program—especially from Jeff Grimes, who was instrumental in helping me succeed. This achievement isn’t the finish line; it’s a foundation. I’m deeply thankful to First National Bank of Gillette for believing in me and investing in my growth. My focus now is to honor that trust by continuing to learn and becoming even more valuable to the bank and to our community’s cybersecurity efforts,” said Smith.

 “Today’s technology apprentices are tomorrow’s I.T. managers,” said Baker. She went on to explain that statistically employers benefit from apprenticeship with increased employee engagement, better trained employees, and higher retention levels.

Benefits to apprentices are evident from this article including additional training grants and scholarships as well as a Department of Labor certificate upon completion of the program. Smith finished his Wireshark, Malware Analytics, and Nmap Basics certificates in Cybrary.

“We think of apprenticeship as dual-credit for the apprentice,” said Baker. “They get to work on their industry and vendor specific certifications while also getting credit through the apprenticeship.”