RALEIGH, N.C., July 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Wake Tech is proud to announce an important new scholarship, courtesy of RapidScale, a Cox Business company and a leading provider of hybrid managed cloud services. The company has established the RapidScale Technology Scholarship to support students enrolled in the college’s high-demand information technology degree programs, including IT Service & Support, Cybersecurity, Cloud Infrastructure, and Computer Programming and Development. These programs align closely with RapidScale’s hiring needs and reflect the company’s commitment to cultivating a diverse, job-ready talent pipeline in the Triangle.
The fully endowed scholarship, officially named The RapidScale Technology Scholarship, will be awarded for the first time next year. The scholarship is part of a broader $60,000 investment to support workforce development and innovation in the Raleigh-Durham region.
“We’re excited to deepen our partnership with Wake Tech and invest in the next generation of technology professionals,” said Duane Barnes, president at RapidScale. “By partnering with Wake Tech, we’re helping students gain the skills and opportunities they need to thrive in our fast-moving industry, and ensuring our teams are strengthened by fresh, diverse talent.”
In addition to the scholarship, RapidScale will become the presenting sponsor of a new lab at the RTP Campus, which will be named the RapidScale Innovation Lab. The lab will include opportunities to extend curriculum in technologies used specifically by industry partners. There are also plans for a maker space for students and faculty to explore emerging technologies.
The 15-year sponsorship includes branding, speaking opportunities, and input into the lab’s design, further positioning RapidScale as a technology leader on campus and in the community.
“Partnering with industry leaders like RapidScale plays a vital role in helping us deliver high-quality, relevant education to Wake Tech students,” said Wake Tech Information Technology Dean Cindy Luttrell. “Through this collaboration, we’re able to offer innovative, hands-on learning experiences in the Innovation Lab and create clear pathways to career opportunities.”
This strategic partnership is expected to accelerate hiring, reduce recruitment costs, and support scalable growth for RapidScale, with a target of 5–10 new hires from Wake Tech in 2026 and the potential to double that number as the company expands.
About RapidScale
Whether you are refreshing legacy IT systems or launching an app that will reach millions, RapidScale empowers your business with a complete set of private and public cloud solutions to simplify IT and unleash innovation.
From Infrastructure as a Service to AI, RapidScale brings you the best portfolio of managed services in the industry, backed by a deep bench of certified experts holding over 400 accreditations. RapidScale has helped hundreds of customers migrate to AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, while also helping over 2000 customers drive the complexity and administration out of IT. RapidScale makes technology your biggest competitive advantage. For more information, visit http://www.rapidscale.net.
Through RapidScale, Cox Business, Segra and Hospitality Network, Cox Communications provides a broad commercial solutions portfolio including advanced cloud and managed IT solutions and fiber-based network solutions that create connected environments, unique hospitality experiences and support diverse applications for nearly 370,000 businesses nationwide.
About Wake Technical Community College:
Wake Tech is North Carolina’s largest community college, serving more than 72,000 adults annually, with seven campuses, two training centers, multiple community sites, and a comprehensive array of online learning options. Wake Tech is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and offers more than 250 associate degrees, diplomas, and certificates that prepare students for university transfer or immediate employment. More than half of those programs can be completed totally online. Wake Tech also offers short-term, non-degree programs as well as public safety training, small business support, customized corporate training, and basic skills courses such as English as a Second Language and high school equivalency preparation. Wake Tech also serves high school students at four Cooperative Innovative High Schools in partnership with Wake County Public Schools. For more information, visit waketech.edu or @waketechcc on social media.
SOURCE RapidScale
