The Connecticut CyberHub Initiative
Empowering the Next Generation of Connecticut’s Cybersecurity Leaders
The worldwide shortage of skilled cybersecurity personnel has a direct and significant impact on organizations and their ability to protect themselves. This collectively adds up to a threat to our nation’s overall economic well-being and to the businesses in the State of Connecticut. To help address this issue, the 2022 Connecticut State Cybersecurity Strategy calls for working on the cybersecurity skills shortage. Specifically, the Strategy calls for partnering with educational institutions to support cybersecurity training and education programs within the State.
The Connecticut CyberHub (CT CyberHub) is an educational initiative created to benefit the State of Connecticut by engaging with local community colleges, universities, technical schools and Connecticut-based corporate sponsors. The CT CyberHub is designed as a collaborative effort between the State of Connecticut iQ4, SDG and private investors.
CyberHub’s Mission
The mission of the CT CyberHub is to engage the State’s public and private sectors and educational institutions to create, accelerate, and scale the next generation of cybersecurity workforce talent. CyberHub addresses these key requirements:
Build an accelerator for increasing cybersecurity education in the State with an eye towards filling the many open cybersecurity jobs and plan for future growth
Leverage iQ4 state-of-the-art technology platforms that enable student/mentor/faculty learning and innovation at scale
Implement the iQ4 Learning and Employment Record System infrastructure resulting in a skills-based community of talent where learners can translate their resume to skills, career pathways and jobs and also enable employers to discover, develop and retain great talent using a skills-based model
Provide an incubator to support the launch of cybersecurity start-up companies in the State
Program Benefits
The CT CyberHub benefits students, private business and the State of Connecticut by offering courses to a variety of student demographics, including high schools, community colleges, colleges, and adult learners looking to up-skill or re-skill into a new career.
The program empowers students to become qualified for jobs in cybersecurity to close the skills gap. The program reduces the cost of finding, developing and retaining cybersecurity talent in the State of Connecticut for both public and private sectors.
CT CyberHub’s Many Benefits
Student Benefits
Provides applied learning, skills-based training with direct input from industry experts working in real-world settings
Attracts diverse, multi-disciplinary students to explore cybersecurity as a career objective
Utilization of the Learning and Employment Record system to identify career pathways and find jobs
Creates job opportunities by moving apprentices and interns into full-time employee roles
Provides a credentialed roadmap for skills development
Business Benefits
Provides a pipeline of talent to fill open security jobs
Fosters a start-up cybersecurity ecosystem in the State
Advances innovation with forward-thinking research and development
Makes Connecticut a geography of choice to find, train and develop cybersecurity talent
Connecticut State Benefits
Expands employment opportunities and tax revenue base
Supports a focus on STEM skill development
Leverages underserved markets to support State diversity initiatives
Helps to mitigate security risks on a local and state level
Economic Support
iQ4’s innovative Digital Talent cloud platform and Cybersecurity Workforce Alliance division (CWA), focuses on the discovery, development and retention of technology talent. It builds a talent pipeline for employers in Connecticut at a fraction of the time, resulting in a tremendous cost savings. Corporations save hiring time and costs: CyberHub takes 1/5 the time for a student to gain skills and 1/10 the cost to an employer, to hire and on-board a student.
Based on market analysis, the average cost savings of using CyberHub rather than conventional recruitment methods is $125,000 per person. CyberHub saves thousands of dollars for employers by providing career-ready individuals through apprenticeships, internships, credentialed on-the-job training, and Industry Ready Credentials (IRCs) skill development.
CT CyberHub estimates that more than 500 jobs will remain in the State. CT employers pay a small hiring fee to sponsor a cohort of students and then select the cybersecurity-credentialed students they wish to hire.
Serving the Underserved in CT
The CT CyberHub is also designed to level the playing-field for access to cyber-security job opportunities and accelerate and scale the number of new entrants into the cybersecurity profession by developing talent from diverse sources and backgrounds. Connecticut’s CyberHub is an equal opportunity program with the mission of leveling the playing field for talent by including underserved populations, the unemployed, underemployed and military veterans.
CyberHub is a virtual apprenticeship model that uses a virtual program-based learning and mentorship with subject experts in STEM, cyber, soft skills, and networking. This virtual apprenticeship model has succeeded in the country of Costa Rica, New York City’s CUNY/SUNY, the University of Cincinnati, Citigroup, and many more.
Next Steps
With the Governor’s endorsement and support, we will, over the next 12 weeks, gather top industry leaders to join in this united effort to launch at least 200 students in the program by the Summer of 2022. With continued support and partnership between the CT Governor’s office, State CISO, the university system, and private sector businesses, the Connecticut State CyberHub program will help to secure Connecticut's private and public information assets both now and in the the future.
Who is iQ4?
iQ4 is a workforce and mobility platform that enables applied learning through the strategic collaboration between students, academia, and the business world. Students emerge from the program with industry credentials using an applied learning curriculum. Companies can develop the next-generation workforce in accordance with the demands of the market. Educational institutions sustain the career trajectory of students with real-world experience in preparation for employment. iQ4 eliminates the current skills gap in the market by uniting the independent initiatives of industry and academia.
Who is SDG?
SDG is a global cybersecurity, identity governance, risk consulting and advisory firm headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. SDG advises and partners with clients to address their complex security, compliance and technology needs by delivering strategy, implementation, and long-term management of their cybersecurity and risk management programs.