New York City Cybersecurity Bootcamp to Support Economic Recovery by Offering Free Introductory Training Courses Nationwide

NEW YORK, June 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to escalating cybercrime rates during the COVID-19 crisis, Fullstack Cyber Bootcamp, New York City's cybersecurity bootcamp partner, today announced an initiative to offer free introductory courses to people nationwide, providing an opportunity for individuals to explore the cybersecurity industry as a potential career path.

This initiative enables thousands of Americans in between jobs or searching for a new career opportunity to participate in nearly 40 hours of introductory cybersecurity training courses for free. Originally scheduled to launch in late 2020 to support under-served New York City residents, the training was accelerated to launch today and expanded nationwide to help people across the U.S. recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19 by introducing them to the growing cybersecurity industry.

"Fullstack Cyber Bootcamp has already become a national leader in cybersecurity training since opening its first campus in New York City last year," said Nimit Maru, co-founder and co-CEO of Fullstack Academy. "Our partnership with NYCEDC enables us to support the country's economic recovery, introducing Americans to new careers, while also filling the significant skills gap in the cybersecurity industry." 

According to Cybersecurity Ventures, there were over 500,000 open cybersecurity jobs nationally before COVID-19, with more than 29,000 open positions in New York City (CyberSeek). This is expected to increase significantly as the pandemic continues to impact the U.S. A recent Bitdefender report showed healthcare, government, and other verticals are increasingly targeted with pandemic-related malware, as there was a 475% percent increase in malicious COVID-19 reports in March, compared with February.

"Cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing sectors in New York City," said James Patchett, president and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. "Fullstack's free training courses will introduce New Yorkers to a field that provides good-paying jobs. As the city faces a long economic recovery, programs like this, which offer an opportunity to learn in-demand skills and a path to a new or better job, are key."  

The following training courses from Fullstack Cyber Bootcamp are available at no cost:

• Hacking 101: a self-paced, online course, where students learn what it's really like to work in cybersecurity and if it's is a good career path for them. 
• Introduction to Hacking: a three-hour live online hacking workshop that teaches participants how hackers use cryptography to protect and steal data. 
• Cyber Onramp: Linux Command Line for Beginners: a self-paced, online course that gets students comfortable working in the command line, an essential skill for cybersecurity practitioners.  

This entry-level training will expose new populations to the possibility of pursuing a career in cybersecurity. Those who wish to continue their education can enroll in the full Fullstack Cyber Bootcamp, where they learn the skills necessary to become an employable cybersecurity professional in 17 weeks.

"Fullstack Cyber Bootcamp's state-of-the-art curriculum was developed by cybersecurity experts and industry leaders who know the skills employers are seeking, which has helped us ensure our students are regularly placed faster than other training programs," said Mark Davis, Managing Director of Fullstack Cyber Bootcamp. "This bootcamp model enables adult learners to gain new skills and enter a new industry without going back to school for two-to-four years, helping them transition to a new career quickly."

Graduates of the Fullstack Cyber Bootcamp have gone on to work for top-tier companies across the country. In New York City, nearly two-dozen organizations have hired Fullstack Cyber graduates, including New York Times, Norwell Health and Offensive Security, all of which currently list cybersecurity openings.

The free training programs from Fullstack Cyber Bootcamp are available starting today. For more information, visit cyber.fullstackacademy.com.

Fullstack Academy has been a partner of NYCEDC since October, 2018 and is part of the Cyber NYC initiative, a city-led effort to grow jobs in cybersecurity. The cybersecurity industry has long-provided accessible, good-paying jobs in New York City, and the increasing digitalization of work and life suggests these job opportunities will only continue to grow.

About Fullstack Academy
Before Fullstack Academy came to life in 2012, co-founders and co-CEOs David Yang and Nimit Maru worked as software engineers and engineering leaders at startups and large and mid-size companies. Over time, they realized that providing a high-quality, immersive coding education at an accelerated pace was not only impactful but also scalable. Fullstack Academy was founded with the idea that coding and software development have the power to positively influence communities and economies. Since then, Fullstack has expanded to Chicago and established the Grace Hopper Program, the first coding bootcamp in NYC to offer deferred tuition and an inclusive and supportive community for women+-identifying applicants. A fast-growing company, Fullstack has developed partnerships with leading universities around the country and has added cybersecurity to its list of specialty bootcamp offerings. Graduates have gone on to work at Google, Facebook, Amazon, various Fortune 100 firms, and countless startups. More details can be found at fullstackacademy.com or at gracehopper.com. Fullstack Academy is part of the Zovio (Nasdaq: ZVO) network.

About Zovio
Zovio (Nasdaq: ZVO) is an education technology services company that partners with higher- education institutions and employers to deliver innovative, personalized solutions to help learners and leaders achieve their aspirations. The Zovio network, which includes Fullstack Academy, TutorMe, and Learn@Forbes, leverages its core strengths and applies its technology and capabilities to priority market needs. Using advanced data and analytics, Zovio identifies the most meaningful ways to enhance the learner experience and deliver strong outcomes for higher education institutions, employers, and learners. Zovio's purpose is to help everyone be in a class of their own. For more information, visit zovio.com.  

SOURCE Fullstack Academy