| | Mar - 201919organizations aren't doing enough to properly equip and power their IT staffs with the education and authority to bolster their implementation of security technologies. Inadequate Corporate Cyber TrainingOne key finding was that 43 percent of those polled said their organization provides inadequate security training resources, heightening the possibility of a breach. Universities suffer shortcoming as well. Roughly 85 of them offer undergraduate and/or graduate degrees in cybersecurity. There is a big catch, however. Far more diversified computer science programs, which attract substantially more students, don't mandate even one cybersecurity course. Fortunately, positive developments are popping up on other fronts. Select states have begun taking steps to help organizations and individuals alleviate a talent shortage by building information sharing hubs for local businesses, government and academia--all revolving around workforce development.Georgia recently invested more than $100 million in a new cybersecurity center. A similar facility in Colorado, among other things, is working with area colleges and universities on educational programs for using the next generation of technology. Other states have begun following in their wake. On another front, there is discussion about a Cybersecurity Peace Corps. The model would be similar to the original Peace Corps but specific to nascent cybersecurity jobs. The proposed program--which would require an act of Congress and does not yet exist--would place interested workers with nonprofits and other organizations that could not otherwise afford them and pay for their salaries and training.Cyber Boot Camps and Community College ProgramsMuch further along are cyber boot camps and community college cybersecurity programs. The boot camps accept non-programmers, train them in key skills and help them land jobs. Established boot camps that have placed graduates in cyber jobs include Securest Academy in Denver, Open Cloud Academy in San Antonio and Evolve Security Academy in Chicago.There are also more than a dozen two-year college cybersecurity programs scattered across the country. A hybrid between a boot camp and community college program is the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC), which partners with the Department of Defense on a free cybersecurity training program for active military service members.A small handful of technology giants have also stepped into the fray. IBM, for example, creates what it calls "new collar" jobs, which prioritize skills, knowledge and willingness to learn over degrees. Workers pick up their skills through on-the-job training, industry certifications and community college courses and represent 20 percent of Big Blue cybersecurity hires since 2015.Technology companies still must work much harder to broaden their range of potential candidates, seeking smart, motivated and dedicated individuals who would be good teammates. They can learn on the job, without degrees or certificates, and eventually fit in well. You can quibble with how much time, energy and work this might take. It's clear, however, that there is no truly viable alternative. Technology companies still must work much harder to broaden their range of potential candidates, seeking smart, motivated and dedicated individuals who would be good teammates
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