Gordon Institute provides free cybersecurity training to veterans and first responders

The Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy is offering a limited number of scholarships to transitioning military personnel, veterans, and first responders interested in enrolling in the upcoming online Foundations of Cybersecurity course from Feb. 7 to April 3.

The course is part of the Gordon Institute’s Veterans and First Responders Training Initiative (VTI), a program that works to recruit, prepare and place transitioning military personnel, veterans and first responders into cybersecurity work roles protecting our nation’s critical infrastructure sectors.

The VTI is a program in partnership with 10 National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (CAE-C) institutions awarded by the NSA to establish a nationally scalable and sustainable cybersecurity workforce program.

The online course will provide the foundational knowledge to enter the cybersecurity workforce or advance in their careers.

"[The course] provides fundamental concepts that [allow veterans and first responders] opportunities in a technology area that is expanding greatly with the tremendous growth in technology currently and into the future,” said Alexander Pons — associate professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and featured instructor of the course. “This program provides a resource to commence a journey toward these skills and new career opportunities."

The Gordon Institute has provided other cybersecurity training programs for veterans in the last year, such as Fundamentals of Digital Forensics and Networking Forensics and Incident Response. The courses vary from weeklong boot camps to self-paced, month-long courses and a yearlong fellowship.

More than 100 veterans and first responders have been trained in the past year through VTI. 

"Of the many cyber operations and forensic training classes and labs, this one was the first whose 'walk through' videos taught processes [which forced me] to learn and explore for [myself], said a veteran who previously enrolled in the Fundamentals of Digital Forensics course. “Self-exploration is critical in any area of cyber operations or forensics."

For more information on the upcoming program, visit go.fiu.edu/VTI or contact Paola Hechavarria, the program coordinator at phechava@fiu.edu.