Alexandria, Va. (Nov. 18, 2022) — (ISC)², the world’s largest nonprofit association of certified cybersecurity professionals, today announced a partnership with Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) to help underrepresented populations to have greater accessibility to cybersecurity educational resources and certifications. The partnership includes a new cohort program, " Certified in Cybersecurity Certification Winter Camp,” to help 250 women with entry into the cybersecurity field.
The Winter Camp provides entry-level certification to IT professionals, career changers, students and recent graduates. The program helps participants evaluate experience across five security domains, including security principles, business continuity, disaster recovery and incident response concepts, access controls concepts, network security and security operations. Additional benefits of the program include technical mentoring, open office hours, certification, and opportunities to receive scholarships.
“Right now, we are facing a workforce gap that is at an all-time high, with 3.4 million more cyber professionals needed in the field. We won’t make inroads into closing the workforce gap until we increase the access for new voices to enter the field,” said Dwan Jones, Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at (ISC)². “Specifically, we need to embrace greater diversity and work to add additional women to the profession. Community is at our core at (ISC)², and we are thrilled to broaden our community to the WiCyS network. This partnership will enable and amplify stronger efforts to recruit, retain and advance women in the cybersecurity workforce.”
The WiCyS community will also have access to (ISC)²’s recent initiative, One Million Certified in Cybersecurity, which will allow individuals to access the free Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) Online Self-Paced Training and exams. This initiative will provide WiCyS members with the foundational knowledge, skills and abilities to take on entry- and junior-level cybersecurity roles, in turn strengthening the workforce by building stronger and more resilient teams across all experience levels.
“Creating an inclusive space and entry point for women interested in cybersecurity is one of many areas we focus on. Bringing the enthusiasm of the WiCyS community together to learn and grow in a certification program is the key to successful outcomes. We are excited to partner with (ISC)² to provide this winter camp to 250 outstanding women as they launch themselves into their cybersecurity career journeys,” states Lynn Dohm, WiCyS Executive Director.
This program is available to 250 WiCyS members, international members, and those committed to completing the certification requirement. To enroll in the program, individuals do not need prerequisites, previous cybersecurity work experience or formal cybersecurity education. The applications are open now until December 1 and the program will kickoff mid-December.
For more information, visit https://www.wicys.org/benefits/isc2-certified-in-cybersecurity-certification/
To learn more about (ISC)²’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and access available resources, please visit https://www.isc2.org/DEI.
About WiCyS
Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) is a nonprofit organization with international reach dedicated to the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in cybersecurity. WiCyS was founded by Dr. Ambareen Siraj in 2013 through a National Science Foundation grant awarded to Tennessee Tech University. In less than 10 years, it has grown into an organization (est. in 2017) representing a leading alliance between trailblazers from academia, government, and industry. WiCyS offers opportunities, trainings, events, and resources for its members. Strategic partners include Tier 1: Amazon Web Services, Battelle, Bloomberg, Carnegie Mellon University – Software Engineering Institute, Cisco, Fortinet, Google, Intel, Lockheed Martin, Meta, Microsoft, Optum, Sandia National Laboratories, SentinelOne. Tier 2: AbbVie, Aristocrat, Dell Technologies, JPMorgan Chase & Co., LinkedIn, McKesson, NCC Group, Nike, Workday. To partner, visit http://www.wicys.org/support/strategic-partnerships/.
About (ISC)²
(ISC)² is an international nonprofit membership association focused on inspiring a safe and secure cyber world. Best known for the acclaimed Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP®) certification, (ISC)² offers a portfolio of credentials that are part of a holistic, pragmatic approach to security. Our association of candidates, associates and members, nearly 280,000 strong, is made up of certified cyber, information, software and infrastructure security professionals who are making a difference and helping to advance the industry. Our vision is supported by our commitment to educate and reach the general public through our charitable foundation – The Center for Cyber Safety and Education™. For more information on (ISC)², visit www.isc2.org, follow us on Twitter or connect with us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
