A Career + Education Fair and Cyber Challenge
As a precursor to National Cybersecurity Awareness Week, The Cybersecurity Association of Maryland, Inc. (CAMI) and The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) will co-host a cybersecurity event on Friday and Saturday, November 9-10, 2018: Maryland: Where Cyber Works. The first day of the event will feature a career and education fair, connecting cybersecurity job seekers with opportunities across the state of Maryland. Those looking to expand their cybersecurity competency can also connect on-site with Maryland education and training resources. On the second day of the event, MITRE will host Catch the Phish, a cyber challenge for all abilities and expertise. Together, these events will reinforce the numerous opportunities available in the state of Maryland for new and long-time members of the cybersecurity industry.
Maryland is at the forefront of a rapidly growing cyber market that is estimated to grow from $122.45 billion in 2016 to $202.36 billion by 2021.[1] Maryland is home to the largest cyber workforce in the world (156,260 employed Cyber-related Engineering and Data Science professionals), and is ranked #1 for cyber employment opportunities in the country. Montgomery County serves as home base to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, as well as its National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. And leading cybersecurity companies—including top federal contractors and startups—have chosen to make Maryland their home.
“As Maryland’s only trade organization focused entirely on cybersecurity, our membership and partnerships include well over 500 of the state’s cybersecurity companies and small to large commercial businesses, many of whom have open cybersecurity positions. The academic and training entities in our state are producing some of the most qualified candidates for these career opportunities,” said Stacey Smith, Executive Director of CAMI. “Universities of Shady Grove represents an ideal partner in connecting cybersecurity talent with open jobs.”
As the cyber industry continues to grow, it is increasingly important for higher education to meet the region’s workforce development needs in the STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math, and medical sciences) fields. USG currently offers four cyber degree programs through two of its partner universities, and is preparing to launch a fifth program in the fall of 2019. And, USG will open a brand new Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (BSE) Education Facility in 2019, which will serve thousands of additional students in STEMM programs, and will allow USG to provide even more regional businesses with a talent pool of qualified STEMM graduates.
“Given the growing demand for highly skilled STEMM workers, I’m proud that the BSE will train the STEMM leaders of the future,” says John Zuknick, Director of Economic Development & Workforce Initiatives at USG. “Plus, with the Maryland: Where Cyber Works event, we’re helping provide pathways to the degrees and careers that will directly power tomorrow’s workforce, and in turn, help to fuel economic development in Montgomery County and beyond.”
The following partners have been instrumental in the event’s success: Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, the Governor's Workforce Development Board, UMUC, Purdue University Global, Edwards Performance Solutions, SkillSmart, and UMBC Training.
For more information about the event, visit https://www.mdcyber.com/md-cyber-fair/. To register for the Cyber Career Fair, click here. To register for the Catch the Phish Challenge, click here. Registration for the challenge closes at noon on Wednesday, November 7.
Maryland: Where Cyber Works will be hosted on campus at USG as the third event in its Beyond the Degree event series. Beyond the Degree is a new series of conversations featuring leading voices in business and higher education, including representative leadership from across all nine universities that offer degree programs at USG. The series convenes leaders working on cross-sector and cutting-edge topics, such as diversity in the workforce, the future of STEMM careers, entrepreneurship, cybersecurity and emerging technologies.
About the Universities at Shady Grove
USG is part of the University System of Maryland and the partner campus of 9 Maryland public universities, all of which share in the mission of creating educational and economic opportunities for the residents of Montgomery County and the surrounding region. Students who successfully complete their coursework on the USG campus graduate with a degree from one of its nine partner universities.
About The Cybersecurity Association of Maryland, Inc.
The Cybersecurity Association of Maryland, Inc. (CAMI) is a nationally-unique non-profit organization formed in 2015 to identify Maryland’s cybersecurity providers and connect them with businesses, organizations and government entities that need cybersecurity solutions. CAMI operates a searchable online directory of over 400 of the state’s cybersecurity product and service companies at www.MDcyber.com/listings and hosts a variety of programs throughout the year to provide face-to-face connection opportunities. Also nationally unique is CAMI’s skills-based cybersecurity jobs platform (www.MDcyberjobs.com) that connects job seekers with Maryland cybersecurity career opportunities and training entities that can provide the skills, certifications and experience needed for jobs of interest.
About the MITRE Corporation
The MITRE Corporation’s mission-driven team is dedicated to solving problems for a safer world. We are a not-for-profit company that operates multiple federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs). MITRE works across the government, through our FFRDCs and public-private partnerships, to tackle problems that challenge our nation's safety, stability and well-being. Our unique vantage point allows us to provide innovative, practical solutions in the defense and intelligence, aviation, civil systems, homeland security, judiciary, healthcare, and cybersecurity spheres.
