GLENVILLE, W.Va (WBOY) — Glenville State University announced on Monday that they will be offering additional free cybersecurity training through a joint effort with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), according to a release.
The effort comes in the form of a Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) grant and is awarded to Glenville State’s Cybersecurity and Safety Workforce Development Initiative.
The Initiative’s goal is to create a brighter economic future for the north central region of West Virginia that has been impacted by the coal industry and its subsequent decline over the past few decades.
The project will have a budget of $1,402,408 in local and federal funding. 80% of which will be coming from ARC, while the remaining 20% will be coming from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and Glenville State University.
“Our POWER grant with ARC allows for the development of freeboot camps, and will provide each participant with all the training materials, study guides, and exams at no cost. Counties in North Central West Virginia that are defined as ‘distressed or ‘at-risk’ have a unique opportunity to receive training and eventual certification in cybersecurity-related fields. We are making strong efforts to bring the training to the people in these counties,” said Peggy Runyon, Glenville State’s Project Director for the Initiative.
ARC has defined several West Virginia counties as “distressed” or “at risk” including:
- Barbour
- Braxton
- Calhoun
- Clay
- Doddridge
- Gilmer
- Harrison
- Lewis
- Nicholas
- Ritchie
- Roane
- Upshur
- Webster
- Wirt
Glenville State said that the classes are open to anyone and do not require any prior coding or cybersecurity training. The training is set to take place over the course of three to five days with classes being offered during the day, at night and on the weekends.
On top of the certification for “high-paying and in-demand jobs,” Glenville State assures that it will be working with grant participants to secure internships and further employment in the cybersecurity field
The first course to be offered will be a CompTIA A+ course, which is already taking applications. The course is set to be held on Glenville State’s campus in the Heflin Administration Building’s third-floor computer lab. The course will be instructed by Annaliza Marks. The dates are as follows:
- Friday, Feb. 24 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Saturday, Feb. 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunday, Feb. 26 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information, contact Glenville State University at Peggy.Runyon@glenville.edu. You can also register for upcoming courses at https://workforce.glenville.edu/.
