Author: Colin Wood / Source: StateScoop
The first graduates of a program designed to ameliorate the state’s cybersecurity talent deficiency are now testing for credentials that could place them in the workforce.
Cyber Vets Virginia, an governor’s initiative launched last year designed to match veterans with the state’s approximately 17,000 vacant cybersecurity jobs, is beginning to produce graduates, a manager of the program told StateScoop.
Originally announced in November by Gov. Terry McAuliffe, the program holds quarterly orientation sessions to provide cohorts of military veterans with the information, support, and free educational resources needed to enter the cybersecurity workforce. Enrollment for the program’s second and most recent cohort closed on Friday. Through industry partnerships with Amazon Web Services, Cisco Systems, Fortinet, (ISC)2, Onward to Opportunity, and Palo Alto Networks, the initiative is part of a larger push by McAuliffe to position the state as both a cybersecurity leader and government and industry catalyst.
John Malfitano, a program manager with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families who acts as a student organizer for the initiative told StateScoop that the students from the first cohort, which launched in March, are now taking tests for certifications that will prepare them for the workforce, and now the program’s worth will begin to be realized.
Through a parnership with Hire Heroes USA, the program provides students with guidance on resume writing, interview preparation and job pairing.
“I think we will know much better in a month or two how that portion of the system works,” Malfitano said of the job pairing service. “I’m convinced it’s going to work.”
About 40 veterans of all ages showed up to the latest cohort, he said, and nearly 40 more participated online —…
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