Nonprofit Opens New Cyber Paths for Girls and Minorities

Denver, CO, May 04, 2018 --(PR.com)-- Cyber Institute was recently featured in a Colorado Springs Business Journal (https://www.csbj.com/ premier/businessnews/nonprofit-opens-new-cyber-paths-forminorities/ article_56781495-9afd-5127-8d34-83dacb586224.html). Minorities, women, and underserved communities are strikingly underrepresented in cybersecurity careers, despite growing cyber threats and an acute talent crunch. Now a Springs nonprofit is on a mission to reach those groups and fill the growing cybersecurity workforce deficit in southern Colorado. The nonprofit Cyber Institute is working with academic partners and industry to bring free cyber summer camps to Pueblo and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, to reach students who traditionally don’t pursue cybersecurity careers. The Latinos in Cyber & STEM camp will be launched in Pueblo in July, Native Americans in Cyber & STEM will be held with the Southern Ute Tribe in August, and a cyber camp for girls will be held in Colorado Springs. They’ll be the first cybersecurity-specific youth camps in the region aimed at boosting diversity and engaging underserved communities. The inaugural camps have been developed based on conversations with the Cyber Institute’s UNESCO, European Union and NATO partners, Vance of Cyber Institute said, and will introduce kids to cyber through activities like virtual reality gaming, 3D printing and drones. Even minorities with cyber skills encounter too many barriers on traditional paths to cybersecurity careers, so Vance and Cyber Institute co-founder Taylor Rodriguez Vance are looking for inventive ways to get and keep them in the field. Vance said, "In Pueblo, where more than half the population is Hispanic, young people who want to pursue tech careers typically move out of the community," Andrew and Taylor want to help change that. "Working out how to meet students’ needs and capture their attention early is key," Rodriguez said.

Brad Revare, Director of Business Partnerships at the youth apprenticeship system CareerWise in Denver, said his organization does not yet offer a cybersecurity occupation but is vetting one with the help of the Cyber Institute for current and prospective business partners. He said CareerWise hears from its tech businesses that they want to recruit underrepresented groups to fill apprenticeship positions, women and minorities are apriority and Colorado along with cybersecurity industry can benefit from opening the doors to new communities and training models, Revare said.

About Cyber Institute
The nonprofit staff have specialized knowledge and experience innovating workforce development and hold dual positions in academia and the Cyber Institute. They help reduce barriers into cybersecurity and STEM related careers by advancing traditional and non-traditional pathways; for women and minorities in particular. By increasing access to education, employment, and workforce development, those they server can have greater opportunities for self-determination and self-reliance. For more information, reach them at info@cyber-institute.org and find us at https://www.cyber-institute.org

Contact
Taylor Rodriguez Vance
Executive Director
1312 17th Street Suite 551
Denver, CO 80202
800-282-1659 or 719-629-7768