WASHINGTON, D.C. – November 3, 2022 – N2K, a N2K Networks brand and cybersecurity training and workforce development company, announced today its partnership with BlackGirlsHack (BGH Foundation), a not-for-profit organization whose focus is to increase the representation of black girls and women in the cybersecurity industry. With this partnership, N2K will provide BGH with free access to foundational cybersecurity training that can be used to supplement training initiatives with their current members.
“There is a critical shortage of black women in the cybersecurity industry. BlackGirlsHack’s mission is to bridge this gap by creating a source of shared knowledge and resources that can enable black girls and women to break the barriers,” said Tennisha Martin, Founder and Executive Director, BlackGirlsHack. “We are excited to partner with N2K, an organization recognized for making inroads to eliminate the skills gap. The resources they are providing our members will help us open the doors for more black female professionals in cybersecurity for today and tomorrow.”
BGH provides training and resources to encourage black girls and women to be engaged in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, which have historically had a poor representation of women and minorities. BGH’s focus is to improve access and representation of black girls and women in the cybersecurity industry and executive suites.
“Our partnership with BlackGirlsHack goes hand-in-hand with N2K’s goal to close the skills gap in cybersecurity by measuring and upskilling underrepresented groups of talent,” said Simone Petrella, CEO of N2K. “We support organizations that invest in their communities by elevating STEM education that will enable a better and more diverse cybersecurity workforce.”
N2K aims to create a cyber-ready workforce through personalized training programs that provide organizations with the people, knowledge and skills required to defend their most critical assets. Areas of training include computers and networking, inventory management, secure deployment and configuration management, protect and defend, and investigate and analysis―from foundational to expert level.
N2K’s free courses that will be made available to BGH include:
- Cybersecurity Matters: This material is designed to complement basic security awareness training and provide a deeper layer of understanding of fundamental cybersecurity lexicon. Designed for a non-technical audience, Cybersecurity Matters provides informative and relevant content in an engaging online environment. Learners will walk away with a foundation of cybersecurity knowledge on common cyber attacks and defensive techniques. Beyond basic awareness training and phishing simulations, this content helps learners understand the “hows” and “whys” of cybersecurity, and their role in keeping the organization secure.
- Security Essentials for IT: An online program designed to teach IT professionals the key foundational concepts of cybersecurity, the course includes video lessons, case studies, lab exercises, and interviews with an industry expert in IT security. Security Essentials for IT goes beyond general awareness training programs. The course addresses cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities related to protecting business data and maintaining enterprise systems while incorporating real-world examples and hands-on exercises to put theory into practice. As a result, the practitioner will be more knowledgeable on cybersecurity lexicon, common threats and attacks, and proper mitigation strategies.
About BlackGirlsHack
BlackGirlsHack Foundation (BGH Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) organization created to bring awareness and provide knowledge and resources to help increase the diversity and representation in Cyber Security. BlackGirlsHack Foundation is a not-for-profit organization whose focus is to increase representation in Cyber Security for Black Women and Girls. BlackGirlsHack was created to share knowledge and resources to help black girls and women breakthrough barriers to careers in information security and cyber security. The vision for Black Girls Hack (BGH) is to provide resources, training, mentoring, and access to black girls and women and increase representation and diversity in the cyber security field and executive suites.
About N2K
N2K is a cybersecurity workforce development company. N2K’s mission is to build and strengthen organizations by providing cybersecurity professionals with the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to drive growth and defense. Founded in 2016, N2K benefits from the rich 85-year history of Kaplan—one of the world’s premier training providers—as its sister company and ally. In 2018, N2K welcomed Transcender into the brand. Transcender brings over 25 years of helping organizations and practitioners build technical job skills across all areas of IT and cybersecurity.
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