The growing workforce shortage in the cybersecurity industry is no secret, with thousands of job currently open and a shortfall of nearly 2 million workers anticipated in the next several years. This shortage isn’t simply a matter of finding enough people, but finding the people with the right skills needed for today’s threat landscape. With cybercriminals growing in sophistication and new breeds of attacks evolving rapidly, it is more important than ever for industry, academia and the public sector to work together to help build the next-generation security workforce that is ready to face these threats head on.

IBM Joins New York Cyber Fellows

As part of these efforts, IBM Security works with hundreds of higher education programs around the world on skills, training and recruitment initiatives. Last week IBM expanded those efforts by joining a new program founded by New York University (NYU) Tandon School of Engineering, in partnership with New York City Cyber Command (NYC3). The New York Cyber Fellows program is a unique cybersecurity master’s degree program designed in conjunction with industry and employers like IBM Security to address the shortage of highly trained technical professionals in the city and across the U.S.

By offering scholarships of as much as 75 percent of tuition to U.S. residents, the program offers a low-cost option for students looking to expand their cybersecurity education. It also provides students with access to the NYC3 Cyber Range, a realistic virtual environment for hands-on training — one of the most critical skillsets needed for new entrants into the security workforce.

Training the Leaders of Tomorrow

One of the key aspects of this program is that it will elicit curriculum recommendations from cybersecurity leaders, including IBM Security and others, to ensure the curriculum is aligned with the current industry landscape and demands. We’re looking forward to working with NYU to help shape the curriculum based on the expertise of leading IBM Security experts working in the field to help students coming out of this program be better prepared for the threats that lie ahead.

For more information about the program, check out NYU’s press release.