On Friday, February 3, 2023, Secretary and State Chief Information Officer Jim Weaver, Chief Operating Officer Torre Jessup, and Interim State Chief Risk Officer Carly Sherrod visited the Carolina Cyber Center of Montreat College. There they received tours and briefings from Montreat College’s cybersecurity department, the Carolina Cyber Center (C3), and the Carolina Cyber Network (CCN).
Between a tour of Montreat College’s campus and a vision-casting meeting led by Montreat College President Dr. Paul J. Maurer and C3 Executive Director Lawrence Young, the state leaders also took the time to facilitate classroom discussions with cybersecurity students and interacted with student employees of C3’s Security Operations Center. During the visit, students learned from these experts and asked questions about what it takes to succeed in a cybersecurity career.
“This special attention from state leadership to our passionate upcoming cybersecurity professionals will positively impact our state’s cybersecurity posture,” Young said. “Secretary Weaver and his team have demonstrated their support for CCN and C3 through this visit, and we are deeply grateful.”
The CCN is a network of higher education institutions in North Carolina seeking to address the growing need for cybersecurity workforce development. Supporting 14 member institutions with services and resources, the network is gearing up to send 3,000-5,000 cybersecurity professionals into the workforce annually. Dr. Mark Sorrells, president of Fayetteville Technical Community College, represented the CCN at this event.
This trip to Montreat College is one example of the North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) dedication to cybersecurity excellence and supporting cybersecurity workforce development efforts. Last month, NCDIT revealed four new paid internship programs for future technologists, historically Black colleges and universities, neurodiversity, and workforce diversity. Each internship connects future cybersecurity professionals to the experience and the network most lack when beginning a career.
With over 20,000 open cybersecurity positions in North Carolina alone, the internship initiative is needed to match cybersecurity hopefuls with businesses, corporations, and government entities in desperate need of work-ready, entry-level cybersecurity professionals. With CCN’s efforts and North Carolina’s cybersecurity leadership, we can look forward to a more secure future.
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Joe Jakubielski
828-335-3553
joe.jakubielski@www.carolinacybercenter.com
