Cengage Work Expands Ready to Hire to Close Critical Cybersecurity Skills and Talent Gaps

Ready to Hire for Cybersecurity, with Training and Verified Talent from Infosec Institute, will Help Employers Fill Open Cybersecurity Roles

BOSTON and MADISON, Wis., April 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As the number of cyberattacks rise steadily each year, organizations are clamoring for qualified cybersecurity talent to protect their business, their employees and their customers. Unfortunately, there are not enough trained cybersecurity professionals and many employers struggle to fill open cyber roles. Cengage Work, the skills training business of Cengage Group, is addressing this labor shortage by expanding its Ready to Hire solution for cybersecurity talent.

Built on the cybersecurity training resources from Infosec Institute (acquired by Cengage Group in 2022), Ready to Hire for Cybersecurity will help employers recruit, train, verify and place cybersecurity professionals.

"The cybersecurity labor shortage is only growing and traditional methods of identifying, hiring and training talent won't be enough to meet the demand for qualified cybersecurity professionals," said Keatron Evans, Principal Cybersecurity Advisor for Infosec Institute, part of Cengage Work. "At Infosec, we've been helping organizations close their cybersecurity skills gaps for nearly 20 years. We are uniquely positioned to help employers build and upskill their cybersecurity workforce with Ready to Hire."

Currently, there are more than 700,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the U.S., and the demand for talent will only grow as the number of information security jobs is expected to rise by 35% from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations. Ready to Hire for Cybersecurity creates new talent pipelines for employers through dedicated train-to-hire programs, upskilling of current talent and connecting employers to pre-qualified candidates that have been verified as having the skills needed for the most in-demand entry- and mid-level roles such as IT Help Desk, Network/Cloud Administrator, Cybersecurity Analyst, Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst, Penetration Tester, Security Engineer, Digital Forensics Analyst, Information Risk Analyst and more.

"With Ready to Hire we hope to considerably increase the number of qualified cybersecurity professionals, help reduce long-term hiring costs and turnover and open up new talent pipelines for employers," said Rya Conrad Bradshaw, VP of Corporate Markets at Cengage Work. "Employers have typically relied on hiring already trained talent, which is more expensive and limits the candidate pool. With Ready to Hire, we vet candidates, provide high quality training and upskilling, and connect qualified candidates with employers who have talent needs." 

Ready to Hire for Cybersecurity can help employers:

• Recruit talent with access to local, skills-based cyber talent pipelines from Ready to Hire's vast network of learners and skilled job seekers.
• Train and Verify talent has the skills needed for a specific role. All Ready to Hire candidates undergo Infosec-verified training and assessment to ensure they are not only certified, but ready to perform from day one.
• Place talent in high-demand cyber roles or build a bench of skilled candidates through Ready to Hire's approach.
• Retain and upskill talent and improve workplace performance by providing access to ongoing upskilling pathways and award-winning certification preparation.
• Improve talent performance through role-aligned on-the-job training and coaching.

For employers and IT leaders looking to identify and develop cyber talent, please visit www.cengagework.com/it_cybersecurity/ or stop by the Infosec Institute booth #4324 at the RSA Conference, April 24-27 in San Francisco.

To learn more about Ready to Hire, visit the Cengage Work website at www.CengageWork.com or read the blog post here.

About Infosec Institute
Infosec, part of Cengage Work, is a leading cybersecurity training company helping IT and security professionals advance their careers and empowering employees to be cyber-safe at work and home. Its mission is to put people at the center of cybersecurity through role-guided training that's accessible and engaging. More than 70% of the Fortune 500 have relied on Infosec Skills to develop their security talent and teams, and more than five million learners worldwide are more cyber-resilient from Infosec IQ's security awareness and phishing training. Follow Infosec on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Infosec's Resources Blog for the latest news, or visit infosecinstitute.com for more information.

About Cengage Work
Cengage Work, part of Cengage Group, provides flexible, affordable online courses and programs to help adults rapidly gain the skills needed to be job ready. Our programs have already helped more than 3.5M people develop new skills, and this year more than 250,000 people will access Cengage Work products and services to gain employable skills, complete required training or pursue a new skillset in high demand fields such as allied health and cybersecurity. To learn more about Cengage Work, visit cengagework.com.  

Media Contact:                     
Kristina Massari, Cengage Group 
[email protected]   

SOURCE Cengage Work, part of Cengage Group