Labor and Commerce Secretaries Address Cybersecurity Career Pathways with Students and Faculty at Montgomery College
Secretaries Perez and Pritzker Tour College’s Cybersecurity Lab, Lead Roundtable Discussion with Business and Education Leaders
Montgomery College welcomed Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker to the Germantown Campus Wednesday to discuss the importance of community colleges in preparing workers for careers in the 21st century economy.
To view photos from today's event, click here.
Montgomery College was one of 14 state community colleges awarded a nearly $15 million grant through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training initiative. Montgomery College will receive nearly $5.4 million and lead the consortium of colleges in establishing the Cyber-Technology Pathways Across Maryland initiative. The consortium will work to develop partnerships with over 40 cyber employers in the state and link low-cost training and education to expanding career opportunities.
"For the first time in history, the Department of Commerce has made skills and workforce development a top priority," Secretary Pritzker said. "The reason is simple: for our economy to grow and our families to thrive, we need to ensure that more workers are better prepared and better equipped to meet the demands of business in the 21st century. Meeting that task is a responsibility for all of us - and requires close cooperation between government, the private sector, and institutions of higher education."
The secretaries toured the College’s cybersecurity lab and met with students, many of whom were working on final projects and preparing for exams. Faculty discussed the innovative curriculum and how the grant can enhance the cybersecurity program at Montgomery College.
Maryland is a national center of cybersecurity with over 130,000 IT jobs–49% above the national average–yet many workers find these careers difficult to enter.
“As Secretary Perez and Secretary Pritzker have both said before, community colleges have a unique role in bridging the gaps between higher education and job-readiness,” said Dr. DeRionne Pollard, Montgomery College president. “Secretary Perez has called community colleges the ‘secret sauce’ in this formula, and he is right. But it is not going to be a secret anymore. This grant will train residents who might not have the opportunity, to step into these skilled positions.”
The 14 community colleges from across the state will work in partnership with key employers and a number of hospitals to develop training pathways for low-income workers with minimal prior education or experience in information technology or cybersecurity.
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Montgomery College is a public, open admissions community college with campuses in Germantown, Rockville, and Takoma Park/Silver Spring, plus workforce development/continuing education centers and off-site programs throughout Montgomery County, Md. The College serves nearly 60,000 students a year, through both credit and noncredit programs, in more than 130 areas of study.
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