NextGen Cyber Talent Empowers Students to Continue Pursuit of Cybersecurity by Creating Cyber Grant Program to Repay Technical Course and Certification Costs

SAN JOSE, CA, USA, May 18, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- NextGen Cyber Talent, a non-profit education provider, is introducing the NextGen Cyber Grant Management Program to the Community College of San Francisco students studying cybersecurity, with intentions to expand support for additional colleges in the future. NextGen Cyber Talent is in the business of empowering the next generation of diverse talent to enter the cybersecurity workforce through the help of industry-sponsored technical trainings, career resources, and now a completion incentive grant program.

“The NextGen Cyber Grant Management Program’s objective is to encourage and reward candidates who have taken the first step in their journey to focus on cybersecurity as their career. By offering the grant to students for completing specific cybersecurity courses and certifications is our way of giving back and helping in any way we can,” said NextGen Cyber Talent’s Founder, Krishnan Chellakarai. Designed to reimburse the ongoing costs associated with pursuing an associate degree at local community colleges for students, the NextGen Cyber Grant Management Program aims to also increase the likelihood that students continue and complete their selected program and successfully enter the cybersecurity workforce.

Cybersecurity Ventures estimates that there will be at least 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs this year; which leaves a large gap, and presents an even larger opportunity to be answered by the next generation of technology students. As community colleges begin offering more cybersecurity courses, entry-level cybersecurity is becoming more accessible to those interested and passionate about the latest vulnerabilities and risks that are constantly emerging. However, this only addresses part of the technology industry’s talent problem, with multiple studies, such as Government Tech’s research, suggesting the technology talent pipeline lacks people of color and diversity. “Retention and completion rates for community college students of color is significantly lower than other groups because many must work,” Olivia Herriford, Regional Director for the ICT Digital Media Sector states. Olivia asks the hard questions that our students are constantly faced with, “Do you finish that ethical hacking class or take a second job to make ends meet?”

With higher education programs typically required for entry into the cybersecurity field, Bay Area community colleges are faced with a unique problem. “The information and communications technology course completion rate for black students is 57% and 66% for LatinX students, compared to 74% for white students,” Herriford points out. While there is a myriad of factors that could potentially impact these staggering numbers, such as accessibility to higher education and support, NextGen Cyber Talent hopes to remove financial burden from this list. “The NextGen Cyber Talent completion incentive grant serves to lower this financial barrier and build upon student persistence to achieve the goal,” Herriford states.

“These people, full of grit and tenacity, they are the type of people we want to invest in for the future. We want to help enable them to reap the rewards of the current talent opportunities available in the cybersecurity job market, while assisting these students with completing their academic program and increasing the completion rates,” says Steven Booth, Vice President of Product Management for Detection and Response at Salesforce. The NextGen Cyber Talent team is incredibly invested in facilitating education for those students with the curiosity and passion for exploring cybersecurity. Providing these students access to the NextGen Cyber Grant Management Program allows them to take advantage of their great performance and fuel future successes.

To learn more about NextGen Cyber Talent’s Grant Management Program, visit: https://www.nextgencybertalent.com/students/sign-up/

About NextGen Cyber Talent
NextGen Cyber Talent is a non-profit educator providing a platform to increase diversity and inclusion in the cybersecurity industry. It brings together cybersecurity experts, solution providers and enterprises to make a difference in the underserved and underprivileged community and address a mounting cyber skills shortage and talent gap. To learn more, visit www.nextgencybertalent.com.

Robert Lee
Next Gen Cyber Talent Inc
+1 408-930-4768
contactus@nextgencybertalent.com