Underserved Communities Gain the Opportunity to Learn New Cyber Skillsets
Little Rock, AR, September 7, 2021 – Economically, Arkansas has always kept its strengths close to the vest, making strong strides in key industry areas like logistics, manufacturing, retail, and finance. Quietly, the Natural State has become the Innovation State, relying on a workforce that is willing and able to take on all challenges.
“Ours is a workforce that adapts,” says W.J. Monagle, Executive Director of the Little Rock Workforce Development Board. “Bring any new industry to our state, and you’ll see Arkansans step up.”
Cybersecurity is among those new industries growing in Arkansas, and a partnership Forge Institute and the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS) is helping to spur the movement forward. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF) helps families stay together by empowering family leaders with job skills and assistance. Forge Institute has partnered with the TANF program to provide entry level IT & cybersecurity skills to Arkansans eager to develop workforce ready skills.
“Cybersecurity is not only essential to our nation’s security, it’s also essential to our state’s economic security and prosperity,” explained Lee Watson, CEO of Forge Institute. The demand for cybersecurity professionals is strong. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the industry will experience job growth of at least 31% between 2019 and 2029, leading to an estimated shortfall of nearly 3.4 million jobs. Forge Institute provides cybersecurity training to individuals and IT/Cyber staff in the public and private sectors.
Forge Institute also provides cyber training to individuals who qualify under the TANF Program. Because the cyber industry tends to not require formal education,” the training benefits people from all hues of the education spectrum. Think of cyber training as a trade program where employers value real-life experience and technical skills over just having college credits.
And like many trade programs, cybersecurity careers pay very well. For example, Information Security Analysts average better than $81,000 annually in Arkansas. That’s a life altering salary that can lift entire families out of poverty and contribute to the health of the state’s economy.
“Cyber skills are skills that you can build a career on,” says Mr. Monagle. “Arkansas is rife with data-driven critical infrastructure companies that need those skills on their team. Why outsource those skills when we can train individuals here and keep the talent and income in Arkansas?”
Mr. Watson agrees. “Thanks to Governor Asa Hutchinson’s coding initiative, which mandates coding courses in public schools, Arkansans already have a digital mindset. Let’s employ that mindset to create an economic revenue stream that has no foreseeable ceiling.”
“The Forge Institute IT/Cybersecurity Fundamentals course is a wonderful on-ramp to a higher paying knowledge job,” says Mr. Phil Harris, Assistant Director, TANF, Arkansas Division of Workforce Services. “Those who successfully complete this program are better positioned to economically transform their lives.”
For Arkansans seeking opportunity, the time to take advantage is now. Through the TANF Program, applicants who qualify receive Forge Institute coursework free of charge. Those interested in receiving assistance for starting a career in information technology or cybersecurity can apply here.
“Our IT and cyber training courses give our trainees the benefit of more than 20 experienced and battle-proven cyber experts and a curriculum developed in concert with industry,” says Mr. Watson. “The certification you receive by the end of training opens a lot of doors.”
Forge Institute offers a variety of courses geared to everyone from un- or underemployed to existing company employees at every level on the organizational chart. To learn more, visit our course catalog: https://www.forge.institute/course-catalog.
SOURCES:
https://www.towncharts.com/Arkansas/Arkansas-state-Education-data.html
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/information-security-analysts.htm
https://ischoolonline.berkeley.edu/blog/cybersecurity-salary/