OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA HIGHER ED. CENTER LAUNCH NETWORKING AND CYBERSECURITY ACADEMY
Classes Slated to Begin in January
Abingdon, VA – Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, in partnership with Old Dominion University, today announced the creation of the Cisco Networking and Cybersecurity Academy. The academy will work directly with Old Dominion University, Virginia Highlands Community College, Wytheville Community College and the National Center of Systems Security & Information Assurance to develop and offer a high quality curriculum that will combine in-depth technical training and professional skills development covering a variety of disciplines including networking, virtualization, storage and cyber security.
The Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission is supporting the academy with a $190,000 Competitive Education grant which will be used to purchase equipment necessary to start the academy.
Tobacco Commission Chairman, Delegate Terry Kilgore said, “The Cyber Security and Networking Academy will be a great asset for Southwest Virginia as we continue to diversify our economy. In addition to providing students with valuable credentials that can lead to high paying jobs it will help us attract top companies to our region. I am pleased that the Commission chose to support this project and look forward to its success.”
Cybersecurity is an important issue for economic growth and stability across all types of industry sectors, especially those in Southwest Virginia’s key industry sectors of Manufacturing, Agriculture, Warehousing/Distribution, Heath Care, Energy, and Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services. The academy will provide entry to high level Cisco credentials to meet current demand for IT/Cybersecurity professionals while increasing the job-readiness of the local workforce as a means to attract and retain employers.
Executive Director of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, David Matlock added, “This is a very exciting opportunity for the Southwest Virginia Higher Education. We believe this partnership with ODU and the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission will be a genuine game-changer for our region addressing Cyber Security, one of Governor McAuliffe’s top priorities and a key component of the New Virginia Economy.”
The Tobacco Commission is committed to developing a diverse economy in the areas we serve. Investments in workforce development, especially in-demand sectors such as IT and cybersecurity, are vital to attracting new, high-paying jobs to the region.
Contact: Jordan Butler
Telephone: 804-786-7692
Cell: 757-692-0878
Email: jbutler@revitalizeva.org
Website: www.revitalizeva.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
11/16/17