Last week, fourteen young adults in and around New York City had a lot to celebrate. After 26 rigorous weeks of training, including a 10-week internship with some of the world’s top companies, they became the first graduating class of Symantec’s signature corporate responsibility program – the Symantec Cybersecurity Career Connection (SC3).
As graduates of SC3, these young adults have positioned themselves to join the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and help fill a much needed gap in our industry for highly-skilled, diverse and experienced candidates. For example, there are an estimated 300,000 open cybersecurity jobs in the U.S. that cannot be filled despite evidence that 20% could be filled by candidates without a four-year college degree. Additionally, the youth unemployment rate for ages 18-24 has reached 15 percent, or double the national adult average, while women and minorities are under-represented in cybersecurity roles.
The SC3 program is aimed at underrepresented and underserved young adults in technology, specifically blacks, Hispanics and women. Over 85% of the NPower graduating class were professionals of color (69% black, 19% Hispanic) and 25% female.
Through SC3 and our regional partner NPower, these students gained highly valued and industry-recognized certifications such as CompTIA Network+, Security+, Linux+ and others. Additionally, they’ve shown they can put these skills directly into practice through internships at NPower host partners including Bank of America, CBS, Citi, KPMG, Morgan Stanley, New York Times, Marathon Consulting, and TD Ameritrade.
{Click here to watch the NPower graduation video that features stories of individual students and their inspirational journeys with SC3!}
A night of inspiration, celebration and recognition
The graduation was hosted at the Bank of America offices with Symantec’s SVP & Chief Information Officer Sheila B. Jordan delivering the commencement address. Symantec and NPower were joined by the proud families of the students, along with executives from NPower’s host partners and leaders in the cybersecurity field. It was a night to celebrate the collective efforts of this partnership and the positive outcomes
“I’m so proud to see the first cohort of students graduate from Symantec Cyber Career Connection,”
“It’s a pivotal day for these ambitious young adults who – thanks to one of our key partners, NPower – are stepping into their first cybersecurity careers and filling the expanding need for cybersecurity professionals. For Symantec and the entire industry, it’s a day worth celebrating, and we look forward to ushering in more graduates at our other partner sites soon.”
- Sheila B. Jordan, SVP & Chief Information Officer, Symantec
Symantec SVP & Chief Information Officer, Sheila Jordan, delivers an inspiring keynote to at the SC3 graduation. Attendees included NPower students, their families, leading cybersecurity professionals and NPower corporate partners such as Bank of America, KPMG, CBS and more.
Symantec Cyber Career Connection (SC3) first graduating class in New York City on March 23rd. The 26-week intensive program was carried out through partner NPower and provided participants with the skills and experience to begin a career in cybersecurity and address the industry’s current workforce gap.
Peter Hancock, Sr. Director, Technical Sales for Symantec addresses the SC3 graduation ceremony. Peter is co-Chairman of NPower’s Tech Service Corps advisory board and has played a key role in advising NPower on expansion opportunities.
Sometimes Life Has Its Own Plans for You
The completion of this first class showcases the difference that effective training and education can make in a young adult’s future.
For example, twenty-six year old Michael Borges from the Bronx, who represented his class at the graduation never envisioned himself pursuing a career in cybersecurity. However, as he stated, "sometimes life has its own plans for you.” Through the SC3 program, he has obtained his A+, Network+, Security+ and Linux+ certifications and interned at CBS as a Security Analyst. Now he aspires to become a Threat Intelligence Analyst or a Digital Forensic Analyst and someday becoming a CTO or CISO.
Symantec’s Debra McLaughlin (Manager, Global Corporate Responsibility) with SC3 graduating students and Mohandchan “Mo” Raghbeer, Academic Manager for NPower.
Building the Skills to Protect Our Future
Symantec is committed to making the world a safer and better place, and as a leader in cybersecurity, we launched this program to help close the workforce gap and create a path to meaningful careers for underserved young adults who may not have the resources to attend college.
Every opportunity created, every door opened through our innovative SC3 program is strengthening the lives and communities it touches, and improving the potential of our industry as a whole. As the SC3 program continues, we look forward to watching these young adults move into their ideal cyber careers, playing a role in addressing the cybersecurity workforce gap and paving the way to building the skills to protect our future.
Cecily Joseph is Symantec’s Vice President, Corporate Responsibility and Chief Diversity Officer