The first class of 32 students met with BCBS executives at the payer’s Chattanooga campus Aug. 1 to begin preparing for the 27-month program, which will be made up of classes and in-person IT applications.
Though the year-round program will take place on the BCBS campus, the students are enrolled at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City and will receive a bachelor’s degree in computer science once completed. Curriculum will be based on ETSU’s ABET-accredited Bachelor of Science in Computing with a concentration in information systems.
The program is free and offers paid internships in the second year. Students will be assigned a student success officer and an individual executive and IT mentor from BCBS. Upon completion, BCBS is looking to hire the graduates in IT positions, which have been difficult to fill.
