Southwest Tennessee Group School Chosen for Nationwide Cyber Expertise for All Initiative

(Memphis, Tenn.) – Southwest Tennessee Group School was not too long ago chosen as one among 14 neighborhood schools throughout the nation to take part within the Cyber Expertise for All: Group Schools Lead the Method Initiative, made attainable by the American Affiliation of Group Schools (AACC) and a $20,000 grant award from the Microsoft Basis. As a part of the grant, Southwest will be a part of a “neighborhood of observe” consisting of neighborhood faculty workforce and financial growth executives throughout the nation geared toward skilling individuals for participation within the digital economic system.

“I’m thrilled Southwest was chosen to take part on this yr’s Cyber Expertise for All studying cohort and grateful to Microsoft and AACC for his or her funding in our faculty,” stated Dr. Tracy D. Corridor, president of Southwest Tennessee Group School. “The chance to collaborate with cybersecurity friends from throughout the nation will improve our cybersecurity program and permit us to supply college students the best high quality {industry} schooling to realize success. I’m excited that as a part of this grant initiative, we can develop a extra numerous expertise pipeline for our area’s cybersecurity workforce.”

“The partnership is crucial to making sure that college students have the talents wanted in an ever-changing area,” stated AACC President and CEO Walter Bumphus. “As expertise evolves so do the talents wanted to guard the nation’s expertise infrastructure. Working along with Microsoft, we are going to present these neighborhood schools with sources to make sure college students be taught the related abilities wanted within the workforce. Chosen neighborhood schools may have the chance to be taught finest practices from each other to proceed to ship high-quality, industry-relevant cyber abilities schooling to all college students.”

Along with receiving technical help and assist of the faculty’s cybersecurity program, the grant award will enhance the expertise pool and can concentrate on African American and Hispanic college students, populations which can be traditionally underserved within the area of IT and cybersecurity. The grant’s phases embody cybersecurity teacher coaching that leads to a Microsoft certification, a free course open to the general public on SC-900T00: Microsoft Safety, Compliance, and Id Fundamentals, and paid internships the place college students will achieve work-based studying experiences with space {industry} companions.

“An increasing number of firms are relying on digital information seize and evaluation, making cybersecurity more and more necessary for the safety of delicate data,” stated Dr. Aaron Jagers, division chair of applied sciences. “Cybersecurity professionals are in high-demand all through the Larger Memphis Space but coaching on this {industry} may be expensive. I’m happy we may issue into our grant, no price, entry-level cybersecurity coaching for college kids and the final inhabitants.”

“The USA faces a cybersecurity abilities disaster – we merely don’t have sufficient individuals to fight the growing variety of cybersecurity assaults,” stated Kate Behncken, Company Vice President, Microsoft Philanthropies. “By working with AACC we may help guarantee there are sufficient individuals with the required abilities to maintain organizations safe and other people secure.”

Different establishments a part of the training cohort embody: Mississippi Gulf Coast Group School; Hostos Group School; College of Arkansas Cossatot; North Hennepin Group School; Wichita State College Campus of Utilized Sciences and Expertise (WSU Tech); Group School of Philadelphia; Central Group School; Bellevue School; Blue Ridge Group and Technical School; School of Western Idaho; Tulsa Group School; Metropolis Schools of Chicago; and School of Southern Nevada.

For extra details about Southwest’s Cyber Expertise for All grant, contact Dr. Aaron Jagers at ajagers@southwest.tn.edu or go to www.southwest.tn.edu.