New CompTIA Partnership Program Offers IT Training to Veterans

Recent research by cybersecurity professional association (ISC)² indicates that the global workplace has so many open cybersecurity jobs — more than 2.9 million — that it would take almost every man, woman, and child in the entire state of Nevada to meet the demand. Need a job? Brush up your cybersecurity skills.

Thanks to a recent approval from the Department of Veterans Affairs, a unique school in Virginia can now offer cybersecurity training to U.S. military veterans under the G.I. Bill. Security University offers a cybersecurity apprenticeship program, Q/CyberSecurity RAP, that provides comprehensive training to aspiring cybersecurity professionals.

The program incorporates four certifications administered by tech industry association CompTIA: Security+, CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP), Network+, and Cloud+. Security+ and Network+ are required for a number of U.S. government cybersecurity jobs.

Security University, based in Herndon, Va., is right in the heart of one of the nerve centers for cybersecurity hiring. Of the more than 313,000 open cybersecurity jobs in the United States, nearly 78,000 are found in Washington, D.C. (44,058 open cybersecurity jobs) and Virginia (33,530 open jobs).

Security University students progress through the apprenticeship program via a  combination of classroom instruction and stackable cybersecurity certifications. CompTIA offers further guidance to aspiring cybersecurity professionals through its Cybersecurity Career Path Hub.

CompTIA executive Joe Padin said in a statement to media that his organization's partnership with Security University is part of CompTIA's ongoing effort to grow the worldwide cybersecurity workforce. "CompTIA is committed to raising awareness about the critical importance of cybersecurity," Padin said, "and the need for a robust cybersecurity workforce.

"We're pleased to team with Security University in this critical effort to bring more people into the cybersecurity workforce, and to equip them with the appropriate education, training and certifications."