Women in CyberSecurity Announces 2023 Offering of Mentor/Mentee Program

9-month program will help upskill women in the field of cybersecurity through resume workshops, a refreshed curriculum and a cyber IQ assessment

COOKEVILLE, Tenn., March 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS), the nonprofit organization dedicated to the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in cybersecurity, announced the 2023 offering of its Mentor/Mentee Program, with new resume workshops, a refreshed curriculum and a CyberGen.IQ assessment. Applications open on March 1.

Available to any WiCyS member, the 9-month program is designed to upskill and up level women in areas such as influence, negotiation, leadership, work/life harmony and communication to prepare them for the next stage in their career. This year's new resume workshops, and a webinar on resume best practices, will help mobilize and train women in cybersecurity to step into the role of a professional. Additionally, a refreshed curriculum will better address the challenges most relevant to women working in cybersecurity today.

"Mentoring can be incredibly beneficial for helping to build leadership skills and self-confidence, especially in young women," said Lynn Dohm, executive director of WiCyS. "We are proud to bring back our Mentor/Mentee Program this year, and are excited about our new offerings, which will help women and other under-represented groups get the leg up they need to move towards a fulfilling career in cyber." 

Matching software funded by WiCyS strategic partner Workday will help mentees better align with mentors who work in their area of interest or have a similar background, allowing for a more streamlined and engaging experience for mentees and mentors. Participants will also receive CyberGen.IQ assessments -- the world's only cyber aptitude talent and assessment -- which analyzes each individual and reveals natural aptitude across four cognitive domains of cybersecurity. This includes a webinar on what to do next with the CyberGen.IQ assessment results and how WiCyS members can use it to guide in their careers moving forward. Provided by WiCyS strategic partner Haystack Solutions, CyberGen.IQ requires no prior technical cybersecurity knowledge. 

Throughout the program, mentees will meet with an assigned mentor in a group cohort setting for a minimum of once a month, engage with materials and resources provided by mentor prior to each meeting, and participate in periodic surveys and program dissemination efforts.

The group cohort was strategically designed so that the learning experience can be shared among peers, increasing interaction during mentor/mentee meetings and developing deeper relationships. Mentors will be provided by WiCyS with resources and discussion points to help host the cohort meetings. Additionally, mentor MeetUps will be available for mentors to share knowledge and best practices.

Now in its third year, the WiCyS Mentor/Mentee Program last year drew 746 mentees (421 who were entry level) and 185 mentors. This year's application period will run through March 22 and acceptance notifications will be sent to both mentors and mentees on March 23. For more information, visit https://www.wicys.org/initiatives/mentorship/.

About WiCyS:
Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) is a nonprofit organization with international reach dedicated to the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in cybersecurity. WiCyS was founded by Dr. Ambareen Siraj in 2013 through a National Science Foundation grant awarded to Tennessee Tech University. In less than 10 years, it has grown into an organization (est. in 2017) representing a leading alliance between trailblazers from academia, government, and industry. WiCyS offers opportunities, trainings, events, and resources for its members. Strategic partners include Tier 1: Akamai, Amazon Web Services, Battelle, Bloomberg, Carnegie Mellon University – Software Engineering Institute, Cisco, Fortinet, Google, Lockheed Martin, Meta, Microsoft, Optum, Sandia National Laboratories, SentinelOne. Tier 2: AbbVie, Aristocrat, Dell Technologies, Intel, JPMorgan Chase & Co., LinkedIn, McKesson, Nike, NCC Group, Workday, Navy Federal Credit Union, Yubico Inc., DeVry University. To partner, visit http://www.wicys.org/support/strategic-partnerships/.

SOURCE WiCyS