INDIANA – As cybersecurity threats and attacks continue to increase, the State of Indiana is introducing the Cyberseek Indiana online resource to promote and support job growth in the emerging industry of cybersecurity.
The Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) is partnering with the Purdue Cyber Apprenticeship Program (P-CAP), Burning Glass Technologies and CompTIA to help close the cybersecurity skills gap in Indiana.
Visitors to the Cyberseek site will find a variety of useful information about supply and demand in the cybersecurity job market, heat maps showing locations of jobs and apprenticeships, and contacts for training providers. The data is geared toward employers, educators and students, with the goal of filling current open positions and growing the cybersecurity workforce in Indiana. According to the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), there are currently 20,549 cybersecurity job openings in Indiana.
“The need for a skilled cybersecurity professional workforce is at an all-time high,” said Dr. Marcus Rogers, executive director of the P-CAP program. “Increasingly, U.S. companies of all sizes are being targeted for attacks, with the resultant cost to the economy in the billions of dollars. Programs like Cyberseek and P-CAP are vital components in preparing the workforce to fill the need for these cybersecurity professionals today and tomorrow.”
Cybersecurity workers protect the nation’s most important and private information, from bank accounts to sensitive military communications. However, there is a dangerous shortage of cybersecurity workers in the United States that puts the nation’s digital privacy and infrastructure at risk.
“The cybersecurity talent shortage is a global challenge requiring local solutions,” said Will Markow, managing director of Burning Glass Technologies. “No two communities have the exact same cyber workforce needs, but you can’t address those needs if you don’t know what they are. Cyberseek Indiana was developed to arm individuals, employers, and educators with the data and tools necessary to prepare for the unique blend of cybersecurity jobs and skills required in every community across Indiana.”
As part of the state’s mission to help provide a skilled workforce, DWD fully supports cybersecurity programs such as P-CAP.
“Understanding Indiana’s job demand for cybersecurity professionals who have the right skills, education, and training has been a key area of focus for our agency as well as Governor Holcomb’s Executive Council on Cybersecurity,” said Jeff Tucker, DWD’s chief information officer. “By partnering with Burning Glass, CompTIA and Purdue, we are excited to deliver a tool that can improve our understanding of our cybersecurity workforce and talent pipeline. This tool further demonstrates Indiana’s commitment to combatting cybercrime. We can see the trends, we can see the shifts in skills needed to combat cyberattacks, and we can offer potential pathways for individuals looking to skill up in the most efficient way possible.”
Learn more about cybersecurity opportunities and training at: www.cyberseekin.org.