Infosec and CompTIA are putting a stake in the ground to address the ongoing cybersecurity workforce gap. Infosec is accepting applications for four scholarships intended for cybersecurity students and aspiring information security professionals.
The cybersecurity skills shortage is a growing crisis facing organizations, with experts predicting more than three million job openings around the world by 2021.†Current data from CyberSeek†says more than 313,000 cybersecurity jobs are open in the U.S.
This year’s Infosec Cybersecurity Scholarship Program provides three award-winning cybersecurity training courses. New in 2019, the program is expanding to include certification vouchers, thanks to a partnership with CompTIA, the world’s leading provider of IT certifications.
“We believe good people empowered with the right education can beat the bad guys,” said Jack Koziol, Infosec CEO. “Businesses big and small, governments, and organizations everywhere are struggling to find the talent they need to keep their data safe from attacks. We hope these scholarships will encourage new talent to join us in the fight against cybercrime.”
Each scholarship is valued at $13,000 and gives recipients the skills, credentials, and experience needed to secure a professional-level, cybersecurity position. Three scholarships in each category will be awarded, including:
- Women in Cybersecurity Scholarship
- Diversity in Cybersecurity Scholarship
- Undergraduate Cybersecurity Scholarship
- Military Cybersecurity Scholarship
“We’re pleased to team with Infosec on this scholarship program, which addresses several of the workforce challenges facing the tech industry,” said John McGlinchey, executive vice president for global certification at CompTIA. “First and foremost is the need for more trained and certified cybersecurity professionals to help keep our devices, data and networks safe.
“CompTIA also has a strong commitment to bring more diversity to the tech workforce; to attract more young people into our industry, and to create career opportunities for military personnel transitioning to civilian life,” McGlinchey added.
Recipients will receive free boot camp enrollments and CompTIA certification vouchers plus a specialized course of the scholarship recipient’s choosing:
- CompTIA Network+ Flex Pro boot camp†plus voucher
- CompTIA Security+ Flex Pro boot camp†plus voucher
- Specialization course (student’s choice of online courses)
Security certifications like CompTIA’s Security+ and CompTIA’s Network+ are common requirements for many information-security roles. The Infosec 2019 Scholarship Program aims to bring awareness to workforce diversity challenges, while proactively working to reduce the number of open jobs in the cybersecurity industry.
