CompTIA Newsroom

Award-winning class prepares students for careers in cyber security

LONDON – Residents from Lancashire, West Midlands and West Yorkshire can take the first steps toward career opportunities in cyber security by enrolling in the award-wining Cyber Ready programme from CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce.

CompTIA announced today it is accepting applications for three Cyber Ready classes scheduled to begin 17 April 2024. A total of 45 individuals, 15 students per class, will be chosen to participate in the free, six-month programme.

Cyber Ready helps socially and economically disadvantaged people enter the cyber security profession. It is designed to increase diversity in the cyber security sector by openly encouraging people from backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented in the sector. This includes women, parents, people from an ethnic minority background, and the neurodiverse.

“There is a great need for cyber security professionals in virtually every industry and locale across the country,” said Zeshan Sattar, senior director, industry relations, EMEA, CompTIA. “Cyber Ready helps people with some IT job role experience gain the knowledge, skills and professional certifications for employment as cybersecurity analysts and related job roles.”

Since its debut in 2018, 85% of Cyber Ready participants have transitioned into cyber security careers.

Funded in part by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Cyber Ready was named the Best Professional Training or Certification Programme at the 2022 SC Awards Europe. The six-month programme offers access to the latest industry-standard content on cyber security. Instruction is led by trainers with real world experience in cyber security.

Participants are expected to complete a minimum of 12 hours of self-study each week and meet monthly for Saturday workshops to help them to consolidate learning, prepare for next challenges, gain insight from industry guest speakers, and network with their peers. 

Participation in the new Cyber Ready classes is open to residents from:

Lancashire (Saturday workshops in Preston)

West Midlands (Saturday workshops in Birmingham)

West Yorkshire (Saturday workshops taking in Bradford)

Participants who complete the program can earn two professional certifications: CompTIA Security+, a globally recognised credential that validates the baseline skills needed to perform core cybersecurity functions; and CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+), a certification for cyber professionals tasked with incident detection, prevention and response through continuous security monitoring.

Visit https://www.comptia.org/content/lp/cyber-ready to apply for the programme and for more information.

About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the world’s leading information technology (IT) certification and training body. CompTIA is a mission-driven organization committed to unlocking the potential of every student, career changer or professional seeking to begin or advance in a technology career. Millions of current and aspiring technology workers around the world rely on CompTIA for the training, education and professional certifications that give them the confidence and skills to work in tech. https://www.comptia.org/

Contact
Steven Ostrowski
sostrowski@comptia.org
+1 630.678.8468