The Undercroft rolls out training program to address jobs gap in cybersecurity

The Undercroft, a cybersecurity guild and development center in Ybor City, is launching a training program to fill the skills gap in cybersecurity in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area.

The program, which launches July 20, is getting underway as unemployment tops 13 percent in the metro area, with hundreds of thousands out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, there are job openings for cybersecurity-trained workers.

“Employers today are faced with massive cybersecurity challenges and with over 3.6 million cybersecurity jobs unfilled today. These roles are unfilled because there are not enough properly skilled cyber professionals,” said Joy Randels, board chair at The Undercroft.

The new UC Baseline program will offer six classes, with content based on challenges encountered in real-world situations, said Adam Sheffield, The Undercroft CEO.

The courses are designed for students moving into the workforce or transitioning from traditional IT roles into cybersecurity, as well as those looking to improve their cyber skillset. Students can take individual courses to fill knowledge and skills gaps, or they can take the courses in a sequence that organizers say provides a comprehensive cybersecurity foundation.

Classes listed on the UC Baseline website are: Hardware 101, Networking 101, Linux 101, Windows 101, Python 101 and Information Security. Prices range from $600 to $1,650 per course. There’s a discount for attending the entire program. Students will get a free one-month membership to The Undercroft including access to Guild programming and events, where they can meet top cyber professionals and leaders of local software and hardware companies.

The training is focused on areas of expertise most requested by employers, based on conversations with those companies, Randels said.

The courses were developed and will be taught by Undercroft Guild members who bring decades of experience. “These instructors are all rock stars in their cyber domains,” Randels said.

The courses will be taught on site at The Undercroft’s Ybor City site, to provide a more interactive experience with instructors and other students. Some classes are hands-on and involve building computers or touring a data center. There’s a limit of 20 students per class to allow for proper social distancing.

For more information or to register click here.