INA, Ill. (Aug. 7, 2015) - Information Technology (IT) and Criminal Justice students have a new program to take advantage of at Rend Lake College, starting this Fall. The new Cyber Security Specialist occupational certificate is composed of 19 credit hours and helps students break into the world of virtual safety.
While completing the certificate, which was approved by the Illinois Community College Board last month, students will learn the necessary knowledge and skills to detect and mitigate cyber-attacks by understanding attack vectors, investigating intrusions, and creating proactive defense methods. The courses will offer a balance of classroom and laboratory activities. The certificate creates two new courses: Computer Forensics I (CRJS 1207), which will be offered this Fall, and Computer Forensics II (CRJS 2217), which will be offered in the Spring.
Ricky Robinson, Computer Networking Professor, said the new certificate will give students in either program extra knowledge to use in a variety of jobs in the future - some of which haven’t been invented yet.
“This certificate combines aspects of information technology with law enforcement and digital forensics to introduce students to a cyber-attack. We will study what the attacker did and where they came from to learn how to prevent a similar event in the future,†explained Robinson. “It’s a great addition to the IT and Criminal Justice programs, though they will use the information in different ways. Government and security specialist positions are in high demand, and there’s a huge potential for growth in the future.â€
According to the U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), job opportunities for a cybersecurity specialist are increasing by 37 percent across the country - a much faster than average rate. By 2022, there will be an estimated 100,000 positions with a median pay between $70,000 and $118,000 per year. Jobs include software analyst, architect, developer, engineer, investigator, researcher, programmer, operator, or executive.
“Demand for information security analysts is expected to be very high as these analysts will be needed to come up with innovative solutions to prevent hackers from stealing critical information or creating havoc on computer networks,†states information on the BLS.
To learn more about RLC’s Cyber Security Specialist certificate, or the IT and Criminal Justice programs, contact the Applied Science and Technology Division at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1261. To register for Fall courses, contact the Academic Advisement Center at Ext. 1266.
Robinson added graduates will also have a new resource to find jobs on the national level. The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity Education and Awareness Branch recently formed the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Workforce Framework.
NICE will provide a foundation for the recruitment, training, and retention of cybersecurity professionals, among other goals, to increase the quality and quantity of the cybersecurity workforce and establish standards for cybersecurity training and professional development.
RLC has already adopted and aligned the Cyber Security Specialist certificate with the NICE Workforce Framework. To learn more about the Workforce Framework, visit www.niccs.us-cert.gov.