Austin Community College District (ACC) faculty are accelerating the work at the Army Futures Command (AFC) Software Factory at the Rio Grande Campus. The training program is among the first of its kind to upskill hidden tech talent within the military. It features specialized courses to train students and Soldiers in three tracks, agile software development, platform engineering, and product management and design. 

“This work is expanding our partnership with the Army Futures Command, and it puts ACC at the forefront of helping to solve the problems of the future. It’s something you don’t see happening anywhere else. Together, we’re looking at national issues and future needs, and our expert ACC faculty are the ones leading the charge,” says ACC Chancellor Dr. Richard Rhodes. I couldn’t be more proud of the excellence ACC faculty continue to demonstrate.”

ACC Computer Science and Information Technology faculty are now teaching Soldiers in a four-month, full-time program. The boot camp style program is equivalent to 24 credit hours and provides a direct pathway to two-year programs at ACC, as well as the college’s two new bachelor degrees in Cybersecurity and Software Development programs. The specialized training program also connects soldiers and students with industry partners such as VMware and Google. 

“The Austin Community College has served as an exceptional partner in our pursuit to upskill Soldiers and prototype a future force design by leveraging best practices from academia and the tech sector,” says Lt. Col. Vito Errico, Director of the Army Software Factory.

Currently, 15 Soldiers are enrolled in the program, and several have already expressed plans to enroll in ACC’s Bachelor’s Degree in Software Development in fall 2023. That number is expected to grow as the next cohorts expand.

For more information about ACC, visit austincc.edu.

About AFC Software Factory

ACC and the U.S. Army are partners in the AFC Software Factory. The state-of-the-art factory works to change how real-life technology problems are solved in the future. Soldiers and ACC students at the Software Factory are technical advisors to Army units and organizations.

The Software Factory opened at ACC’s Rio Grande Campus in Spring 2021. It builds on the college’s Computer Science and Information Technology programs. The curriculum is developed in partnership between Austin Community College District and Futures Command leadership, with support from invited global software development companies. 
For more information about AFC, visit army.mil/futures.

Tags: AFC, Army, Army Futures Command, Army Futures Command Software Factory, rio grande campus, Software Factory, U.S. Army