New 26-Week Training Aims to Fill Increasing Cybersecurity Jobs with Qualified Professionals
Fullstack Academy announced that it has launched a new program with the University of North Florida to offset the current lack of professionals qualified to fill local cybersecurity jobs. The decision was made in part due to the recent success of Fullstack’s inaugural UNF coding bootcamp, which equips beginners with the skills required to become web developers.
The new part-time, 26-week bootcamp will be the first of its kind in Jacksonville to teach cybersecurity skills to students seeking high-paying, in-demand tech jobs in Northeast Florida and beyond. The program comes in response to a 13 percent increase in cybersecurity jobs in Jacksonville over the past five years, according to economicmodeling.com. Currently, more than 3,000 cybersecurity positions remain unfilled in the region, with a 10 percent increase projected over the next decade. Glassdoor.com reports that companies currently seeking cybersecurity talent include large employers headquartered in Jacksonville such as CSX Corporation, FIS and Fidelity National Financial, among others.
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“As we acclimated ourselves with Jacksonville during the launch of our coding bootcamp, we noticed a large and growing skills gap that local businesses faced when trying to fill cybersecurity positions,” said Nimit Maru, Fullstack Academy co-founder. “Cybercrime is one of the largest threats to society as we enter a new decade, and this program will help ensure Northeast Florida has access to qualified and trained professionals quicker than a more traditional education curriculum.”
The cybersecurity program is designed for early career or experienced professionals, but is especially ideal for the 75,000 active-duty, reserve and civilian personnel that make up about 14 percent of Northeast Florida’s workforce.
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“The program is a natural fit for veterans transitioning to their next career as no cybersecurity experience is required and there are parallels between the military profession and jobs that require protecting data for businesses and government,” said Maru.
Offered through UNF’s Division of Continuing Education and scheduled to begin in June 2020, the Cyber Bootcamp at University of North Florida will feature mostly hands-on classes. The majority of students’ time will be spent learning how to monitor and secure systems, networks and applications as well as how to deploy offensive and defensive tactics needed to appropriately respond to cyber breaches.
“Fullstack Academy has proven their effectiveness in launching similar programs across the country, demonstrating a proficiency for understanding this sector and developing educational curriculums that target this growth area,” said Edythe M. Abdullah, Dean of UNF’s Division of Continuing Education. “We saw tremendous interest in the coding bootcamp we developed with Fullstack Academy and expect this new program to generate similar participation and results.”
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