Editorial Board, Pensacola News Journal Published 6:00 a.m. CT Oct. 31, 2020
Director of the UWF Center for Cybersecurity Eman El-Sheikh announced Tuesday that the university received a $6M grant to establish a national program aimed at helping military veterans and first responders begin careers in cybersecurity.
(Photo: Courtesy of University of West Florida)
How's this for timing? In the same week that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis learned that his voter registration information was hacked by a 20-year-old Florida man, the University of West Florida was awarded a $6 million grant that will make the institution the head of a national program aimed at helping veterans and first responders fill the rapidly growing demand for cybersecurity workers.
As reported by the PNJ's Kevin Robinson, UWF was selected by the National Security Agency to be the leader of a nationwide coalition of colleges and universities who will be recruiting and training workers for cybersecurity — a sector with a growing number of jobs and a shortage of qualified workers to fill them. There are currently an estimated 500,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs nationally, with 24,000 of those in Florida.
The average starting salaries for jobs in cybersecurity range between $75,000 to $85,000 a year, which is far beyond the average income for most workers in Escambia County. The $6 million grant includes funding for the first two years of operation, so there will be no tuition required of the participants who could be trained within as few as three to four months for an introductory level program.
The National Cybersecurity Workforce Development Program launches in 2021 with a goal of training and job-placement for 615 students within the first two years. ..
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