Cheyney University
Cheyney University will partner with PSECU, AT&T, and others to launch its Workforce Enhancement Network in Cybersecurity.
The program will work to help reduce and ultimately eliminate disparity in representation in cybersecurity while addressing the needs of this emerging field.
The Cheyney program will include mentorship and training programs that support professional development and career advancement efforts designed to elevate diversity in the cybersecurity sector. The partnership between Cheyney University, nonprofit organizations, and private employers focuses on developing educational and career pathways to provide a more diverse, capable, and fully-trained cybersecurity workforce for the region.
According to The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Information Security Analysts Outlook, cybersecurity jobs are among the fastest-growing career areas nationally. The BLS predicts cybersecurity jobs will grow 31 percent through 2029, over seven times faster than the national average job growth of 4 percent.
“AT&T is looking forward to providing mentorship and other supportive efforts to help get students into the cybersecurity pipeline,” said David Kerr, External Relations for AT&T. “We are hiring thousands of cybersecurity positions across the country, and this is an area where we have a great need for diverse candidates who are looking to become engineers, network technicians, and many other professional positions.”
The cybersecurity initiative is part of Cheyney’s latest stride by the nation’s oldest Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to attract and train science and technology majors. Cheyney has seen the percentage of students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) increase from 13 percent in 2017-18 to 25 percent entering the fall 2021 semester. To date, eight companies have either set up shop or will establish operations on campus in the coming months—creating numerous paid, hands-on internship opportunities. Cheyney students will work directly with these companies, matching in-class instruction with invaluable real-world experience in their respective industries.
Cheyney has set a goal of having 30 percent of its student body majoring in biosciences and technology within two years.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio)
"As the nation's first HBCU, we wanted to get most definitely more Black and brown people into that field and to be able to help them to develop some economic capital,"
- Kizzy Morris, Provost, and Chief Academic Officer , Cheyney University
“The communities and regions we serve need creative, workforce-aligned programming like that being produced through the #Prepared4PA program”
“Cheyney and its partners are proving that we can continue providing students with a high-quality, traditional residential experience while simultaneously building new pathways and experiences that are responsive to workforce demands and the changing needs of students.”
— State System Chancellor Dan Greenstein