The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Learners Program is an innovative workforce development initiative that builds job-ready technology talent while delivering immediate value to local government. Enrollees are hired as salaried, full-time COG employees and embedded on-site within county government, where they work on real-world projects that modernize systems, improve service delivery, and reduce reliance on external contractors. Guided by experienced technical and business mentors, learners receive hands-on training alongside structured professional development and earn industry-recognized certifications in high-demand areas such as ServiceNow, software engineering, cybersecurity, cloud platforms, and Agile.
Custom designed for each local government partner, this paid apprenticeship-style program lasts for at least a year. During that time, learners progress from intensive mentored training into sustained project delivery supporting multiple government departments. The program creates a strong pipeline of skilled professionals who are fully prepared to step into permanent public-sector IT roles at graduation, while giving participating jurisdictions early access to vetted, proven talent. By combining workforce development with measurable operational impact, COG’s Learners Program strengthens local government capacity, accelerates technology transformation, and helps position the region as a leader in public-sector innovation.