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Cognizant Skills Accelerator

One of the biggest ways we help clients build future-ready businesses is by attracting and building a highly skilled workforce—the people who deliver the Cognizant solutions that enable businesses to anticipate and act with superhuman speed.

We’re investing in new talent pipelines across the globe—preparing people to make the most of technology that is improving everyday lives of people around the globe.

We look for applicants with the ambition and desire to work in a fast-paced technology-driven industry. Candidates who become part of our team help support and drive Cognizant’s industry-leading growth and client experience.

Our programs are available to citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and the United Kingdom. Some programs may not be available in all areas.

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Tech bootcamps

Our employment Pathways serve as a conduit into Cognizant through various sponsored learning and developmental programs that meet you where you are in your technical career journey.  We believe building a strong, equitable workforce means creating multiple on-ramps that people can use to move into their desired roles.

Cognizant Pathways let you pick up new technical skills to accelerate your career in IT. After successful completion you’ll get a front-row pass into Cognizant’s career portal.

  1. Technical Assessment: Evaluate your existing IT Skill level
  2. Starting Line: Accelerate your IT skills with no-cost asynchronous training
  3. Bridge: Upskill to a high-demand technology role with custom-curated synchronous learning 
  4. New graduates: Identify the right opportunity that fits into your long-term career goals
  5. Contract-to-hire: Develop your technical skills to be day-one productive in a paid-to-learn specialized bootcamp 
  6. Apprenticeship: Earn while you learn as you master the technical skills required to be successful in the role

Due to the nature of this program, no visa sponsorship is available now or in the future and residency terms may apply.

Determine where to start

Find the box below with your education level and then down to your years of experience.

AA, AS

Work experience (years):
0-4 NA
5-10+ go to Starting Line

BA

Work experience (years):
0-10+ go to Starting Line or Bridge

BS, MS, STEM

Work experience (years):
0-4 go to Bridge
5-10+ go to Bridge or Apprenticeship

PhD, MBA, MA

Work experience (years):
0-1 go to Starting Line or Bridge
2-4 go to Bridge
5-10+ go to Bridge or Apprenticeship

If you believe you have the skills to interview at Cognizant immediately, we encourage you to apply to participate in an online skills assessment.

The Starting Line program is a rigorous, asynchronous and fast-tracked technology training program. It’s geared to recent grads with non-STEM degrees who want to advance their skills and prepare for a career in a highly sought IT role.

The no-cost training provides opportunities to underrepresented groups in technology, serving as a skills gateway that enables participants to earn a micro-credential in an area of technology through one of our training partners.

The program’s duration varies and includes exercises, tests, projects and homework. Selected participants should expect to spend 15 or more hours per week developing their new skills.

The Bridge program fills the skills gap for individuals coming from either university or bootcamp learning. Participants get to work on real-world projects, gaining knowledge that applies to what you’ve already learned in your IT journey.

The no-cost skills training is a full-time, online and synchronous learning program that can accelerate your technology education. It’s designed for recent grads with STEM degrees who want to advance their skills and prepare for a career in a high-demand IT role.

The program’s duration is seven weeks (Monday–Friday) and consists of exercises, tests, projects and homework. Participants should expect to spend 40 or more hours per week developing their new skills.

Cognizant recruits from more than 30 universities across the US and is committed to developing and nurturing the next generation of leaders in our industry. We believe in providing opportunities for young talent to thrive and helping you find the right opportunity that fits into your long-term career goals.

Our Contract-to-Hire pathway provides a paid learning experience resulting in an interview with Cognizant for a one-year contractor role. This pathway provides the flexibility of assessing our company’s fit, helping to fill any employment gaps and provides a possible long-term employment opportunity. Since 2017, hundreds of Cognizant Associates started their careers through our contract-to-hire learning experience.

The Apprenticeship program provides an entry point into Cognizant for people with relevant skills to build new technical skills while getting paid, but who may not have a traditional computer science degree.

The Apprenticeship program is a one-year paid learning experience that requires you to successfully complete specific learning hours and outlined on-the-job training to ensure your success in your new role. You must also pass technical assessments along the way.

Due to the nature of this program, no visa sponsorship is available now or in the future and residency terms may apply.