With the recent passing of the Cybersecurity Opportunity Act, which is a part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, Opportunity Hub (OHUB) launched an initiative to promote equity in tech by working to increase the number of Black women in Cybersecurity.
In partnership with GET Cities and The Links, Incorporated, OHUB's Black Women in Cyber Initiative will work to increase the number of Black women in the field of cybersecurity. The initiative will provide exposure, training, employer-recognized certificates, and resources that will prepare women for new careers.
“With this initiative, Black women will finally have the opportunity to enter this rapidly expanding field and unlock the potential for innovation, leadership, creativity, and investment in cybersecurity,” said Kieran Blanks, chief growth officer of Opportunity Hub, in a statement.
To ensure the success of this initiative, IBM Skillsbuild will be sponsoring women who complete cybersecurity training on the platform for the Fortinet Training Institute certification exam. This extra support will help to ensure that more women are able to enter the field of cybersecurity and help to close the current representation gaps.
“Our research points to the need for early exposure to cybersecurity career options for women and girls, as a way of countering the barriers that eliminate diverse talent from entering the industry,” said GET Cities (DC) managing director, Ayanna Smith. “Helping women understand the factors that impact their ability to pass background checks and attain security clearances can have a huge impact on the number of women of color who become qualified to fill the thousands of cybersecurity jobs that remain vacant each year.”
Under the new partnership, GET Cities will make a strategic investment to expose up to 350 women of color to cybersecurity certificate programs. The goals of the new partnership include promoting cybersecurity to effectively reach more Black women; onboarding up to 500 women of color with complimentary access to OHUB’s curated learning paths on IBM Skillsbuild; increasing the number of Black women enrolled in OHUB’s nationwide network of Cybersecurity reskilling boot camps.
“I am happy that more Black women are not only seeking these types of careers but thriving in them,” said Dr. Kimberly Jefferies Leonard. “The Links, Incorporated is happy to partner with OHUB, SecondMuse Foundation, GET Cities, and IBM SkillsBuild to provide a pipeline for even more women to access this career through learning opportunities.”
During an interview at CES 2023, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly, said it is crucial to close the gender gap.
“All of the cybersecurity industry has to be 50% women or non-binary people by the year 2030," she told Yahoo Finance's Built By Girls. "I think it's a goal we can all get behind. Now how do we do it? First of all, we have to start with the youngest among us,” said Director Easterly. “We have to make sure that cybersecurity is integrated into the curriculum from kindergarten all the way up to 12th grade so that early on we are getting people who wouldn't think about tech because it sounds scary and complicated, more interested in technology and cybersecurity"
