WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Local educational institutions, including Baylor University and McLennan Community College, are working to meet the growing demand for cybersecurity professionals through new training programs designed to address the significant workforce gap.
"You're helping to defend people's data and people's livelihoods," McLennan Community College Professor Jeremy McCormick said.
Cybersecurity plays a crucial role in our everyday lives, protecting everything from online banking to utility payments.
"So that our current culture can continue with everybody in online banking or paying their utilities all," McCormick said.
The need to safeguard technology has created an increased demand for cybersecurity workers, and MCC is stepping up to address this need.
Beginning this summer, Baylor and MCC are offering two new General Assembly training programs designed to help close the cybersecurity talent gap in Texas and nationwide.
When asked about what prompted these additional courses, Jeremy McCormick, program director and MCC professor, highlighted the significant workforce shortage.
"There's a huge cybersecurity workforce gap right now, where we have 1.2 million people employed in cybersecurity in the nation with about half a million open jobs, and we do not have near enough people to fill those jobs," McCormick said.
Both programs are 12 weeks or less in duration, making them accessible options for those seeking to enter the field quickly.
While demand continues to grow, so does the need for new and additional skills in the cybersecurity sector.
Joseph Hornsey with TSTC's cybersecurity department, who has worked in the field for 20 years, confirms this trend.
"Companies have been aware of this threat for a long time, and they've been looking for cybersecurity people, and that demand has simply grown and grown because the threat continues to evolve. They continue to be more sophisticated," Hornsey said.
In Texas, several large-scale projects are contributing to the demand, including President Trump's AI venture, the Stargate Project, which will have assets that require cybersecurity protection.
For more information on these courses, click here.
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