Industry, Community Colleges Form Partnerships to Drive Cybersecurity Training; AT&T’s Jill Singer Quoted

Companies such as AT&T, Microsoft and Mastercard are partnering with community colleges to offer cybersecurity training and education programs as part of efforts to diversify and further build up the cybersecurity workforce, Inside Higher Ed reported Thursday.

AT&T teamed up with Northern Virginia Community College to introduce an information technology apprenticeship program to provide training and expand the talent pool for federal clients in the national security sector.

Jill Singer, vice president of defense and national security at AT&T Public Sector and FirstNet, a six-time Wash100 awardee and a GovCon Expert, said the apprenticeship program seeks to train and develop talent with IT and cybersecurity skills and field cyber professionals in support of public sector customers.

Under the program, students are expected to acquire technical and soft skills, lab work and other related skills through 2,000 hours of on-the-job training and transition into full-time employees at AT&T to support the company’s work for federal clients.

Microsoft is offering cyber instructional training to instructors at 150 community colleges across the U.S. and providing scholarships and other financial assistance to 25,000 students studying cybersecurity at community colleges.

Mastercard and LaGuardia Community College in New York City have teamed up to offer on-the-job training on cybersecurity.