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Miami Dade College Offering Free Online Programs for Students Interested in IT

The school is launching an infosec boot camp to lower barriers to entry into the field.

Amelia Pang is a journalist and an editor at EdTech: Focus on Higher Education. Her work has appeared in the New Republic, Mother Jones, and The New York Times Sunday Review, among other publications.

The field of cybersecurity is suffering from a lack of skilled job applicants. Digital threats increase by the day, but Cybercrime Magazine estimates that the number of unfilled cybersecurity jobs will reach 3.5 million this year. That’s why Miami Dade College is tackling the cybersecurity skills gap by lowering barriers to entry for students.

Miami Dade, a public college in Florida, is offering free online boot camps for underserved students pursuing IT careers.

The program aims to help graduates find employment as junior cloud practitioners and IT support specialists. Each boot camp takes about 10 to 15 weeks to complete. This program is made possible through a partnership with the nonprofit Generation USA as a part of a larger initiative to increase access to digital skills.

“We’re excited to partner with Generation USA and give our students this unique opportunity to build a successful career in the technology industry,” Miami Dade President Madeline Pumariega said in a release. “We are confident our students will benefit greatly from this partnership, which aligns with the College’s mission to serve as an economic, cultural and civic leader for the advancement of our diverse global community.”

As the American economy struggles amid a pandemic-induced recession, free boot camps like these are an equitable way forward for students seeking cybersecurity careers.

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