DENVER, Aug. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- SecureSet Academy today announced the creation of the SecureSet Foundation, a national non-profit organization that will serve to promote increased diversity in the cybersecurity profession through financial assistance to individuals to enhance and build their professional skills in the field of cybersecurity and help to fill the talent pipeline. The foundation has been formed in direct response to employers, collaborating with SecureSet, who have demonstrated an immediate and direct concern to solve the issue of a lack of diversity in the global cybersecurity field.

According to a report from Frost & Sullivan, women comprise a mere 11 percent of the cybersecurity workforce and globally men are four times more likely to hold C- and executive-level positions and nine times more likely to hold managerial positions than women. Data from the latest (ISC)²   report, shows the disparity in representation is mirrored across cybersecurity professionals who identify as a racial or ethnic minorities.  A separate 2017 ISC² report cites that the vast majority of cybersecurity professionals (87%) did not come from security-related backgrounds. The need for non-traditional recruiting channels and a combination of skills like high accountability, complex problem-solving, and teamwork make military veterans ideal candidates, yet there are not enough of them taking advantage of pathways to transition into security roles.  The SecureSet Foundation will work to address these disparities by providing increased access to cybersecurity education and lowering the financial burden, which in turn will enable more candidates to realize cybersecurity careers during a time of exceptionally high demand.

"As it stands, the cybersecurity industry is in dire need of fresh faces and new perspectives, particularly at a time when the job market already has a negative unemployment rate," said Brad Davis, Executive Director of SecureSet Foundation. "Reaching new, previously untapped individuals and providing them with the skills and education to become part of the cybersecurity workforce is a critical piece of addressing the shortage of qualified professionals in this field."

"A lack of diversity is a critical problem for any industry, and is particularly acute when it comes to cybersecurity," said Bret Fund, CEO and Founder of SecureSet. "By promoting a more diverse population of cybersecurity professionals and offering grants to underserved populations, we can tackle new threats with the best combination of creative, and technologically savvy, minds possible from a wide array of backgrounds and experiences."

Students of the SecureSet Academy, including veterans, women, minorities, those with disabilities, members of the LGBT community, as well as those experiencing economic hardship, may qualify for support from the SecureSet Foundation in the form of immersive program tuition assistance, cost of living support, as well as industry certification prep / exam cost support.

The launch of SecureSet Foundation will be managed by members of SecureSet's founding leadership at launch, with Brad Davis serving as Executive Director. Within the first year, this team will initiate a search for a permanent Executive Director, as well as a number of strong and independent directors to continue to grow the organization in support of this important mission.

For more information, please contact Executive Director, Brad Davis brad@secureset.com.

About Us.

SecureSet helps offset critical skills gaps in the cybersecurity field through immersive, comprehensive educations programs that rapidly produce highly trained, relevant, up-to-date professionals. Founded in the wake of an acute shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals, and increasingly sophisticated onslaught of threats worldwide, SecureSet provides hands-on experience through immersive education programs and workshops to ensure graduates have immediate, in-demand skills to protect against the latest threats. Offering compressed programs to quickly deliver skills and certifications in just months, SecureSet educates qualified professionals in an accelerated time frame. SecureSet has campuses in Denver, Colorado Springs, Tampa and will soon launch in the DC Metro area. For more information, visit: https://secureset.com/.

SecureSet Contact:
Lisette Rauwendaal
Lumina Communications
(408) 827-4363
secureset@luminapr.com

SOURCE SecureSet Academy

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