Here Are Three Initiatives Helping Black People Break Into Cybersecurity
Despite the cybersecurity sector being one of the fastest growing in tech, reports have revealed that only 9% of cybersecurity experts are Black, meaning a lot needs to be done to diversify the industry.
According to Forbes, Cybersecurity Ventures has forecasted that approximately 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs will need to be filled by 2025. As a result, more initiatives have been launched to help close the racial cybersecurity gap – here are a few.
CyberVista
Arlington-based cybersecurity platform, CyberVista, has launched a free training platform for Black women and girls.
The two courses – Cybersecurity Matters and Security Essential for IT – will be available for all Black women aspiring to enter the cybersecurity sector.
Cybersecurity Matters is designed for a non-technical audience and provides users with a basic understanding of cyber-attacks and defensive techniques. According to the company, this course will “help learners understand the ‘hows’ and ‘why’s’ of cybersecurity.
The Security Essentials course is designed for IT professionals and addresses cybersecurity threads that may occur within business systems.
Initiatives like this play a crucial role in bridging the racial gap in tech. Despite the sector being one of the fastest growing in tech, reports have revealed that only 24% of cyber security employees are women, while Black women only make up around 9%.
TikTok and Cyversity
The popular social media platform, TikTok, recently partnered with Cyversity to connect underrepresented individuals with more opportunities and jobs within the tech world.
The initiative, which falls under TikTok’s #SeeYourselfInCyber program, includes an online mentoring syllabus and in-person events at HBCUs to assist students with the skills needed to break into the industry and succeed.
The new program aims to educate young users on online dangers while expanding the conversation around cybersecurity to include people from underrepresented communities.
TikTok has also published a new one-page overview on how people can improve their safety online as a part of their Back-to-School initiative.
Seidea CIC
Cybersecurity accelerator platform Seidea CIC is trying to diversify the cybersecurity industry. The platform’s mission is to help Black and ethnic minority women kickstart their cybersecurity careers through educational programs and industry events.
Over the years, Seidea CIC has worked to close the gender and severe talent gap, which sees organizations report a “problematic shortage” of cybersecurity skills. In addition, Seidea’s work focuses on the intersectionality between gender and race, which is often forgotten about in the diversity discussion.
Seidea’s overall mission is to support 100,000 Black and minority women entering the tech sector by 2040. The company believes this route to reducing the gender and diversity gap will help many women create rewarding and long-standing careers in cybersecurity.
