BLYTHEWOOD – Westwood High School held an open house on Aug. 17 to discuss its new comprehensive cybersecurity program, the growing demand for cybersecurity professionals and how their new program is answering the call to fill vacancies.
According to industry experts and educators, there are currently over one million job openings in the cybersecurity industry in the United States and in three years, that number is expected to grow to 3.5 million. The average starting salary in the industry is $70,000.
Westwood High School principal Robert Jackson says the school began offering the comprehensive cybersecurity program this school year.
“Our program will prepare students for both entry-level and long-term job market opportunities,” Jackson said. “It is not too late for students who are interested to sign up and begin learning how to land jobs right after high school graduation such as Threat Analyst, Security Analyst, Network Security Engineer, Cybersecurity Software Engineer, and Defense Analyst.”
Up to 50 students can enroll in the new program each year. The three-year cybersecurity pathway offers foundational knowledge and skills, industry subject matter experts, hands-on learning, certification, national competitions, personalized cyber areas of focus, internships, job shadowing, professional resume and skill development, and much more.