Programs for Women & Veterans in Cyber w/ WiCyS - SPECIAL EDITION

With us today are Lynn Dohm, Executive Director of Women in Cybersecurty (WiCyS) and Martha Laughman, Veterans Iniative Lead at WiCyS and Director of Workforce Development at Smoothstack. Lynn and Martha are here to talk about the amazing programs for women and women veterans at WiCyS.

WiCyS is so much more than a conference for women in cybersecurity. Its presence spans the globe and its programs are myriad. Mentorship, student scholarships, training, special interest groups, job boards, veterans' assistance, and apprenticeships are all available.

Smoothstack is a partner of WiCyS, and has created a program for women veteran apprenticeships designed to benefit all parties involved.

The program is based on attitude, aptitude and intitial assessments, but requires no cybersecurity knowledge at the start. Apprentices are paid, trained, and qualified when they come out, working for employers on a two-year contract at a minimum. The program addresses employers' fears over being the first ones to hire and train new talent only to lose them.

WiCyS is a phenomenal organization, and there are ample opporutnities for allies - not just women - to join.

Key Takeaways

0:24 Allan Introducs Lynn and Martha
1:18 Lynn gives an overview of WiCyS' origins
2:06 Lynn explains the many WiCyS worldwide programs outside of the conference itself
6:45 Lynn introduces the veterans' assistance program
7:33 Lynn explains the origins of the veterans' apprenticeship program
8:54 Lynn explains why WiCyS chose Smoothstack and its program for women veterans' apprenticeships
10:14 Lynn explains the specific challenges and needs of women veterans
11:51 Martha shares a bit about her past, and her personal motivations
15:05 Martha elaborates on the program at Smoothstack with a very human story
17:14 Martha outlines the full process of the apprenticeship program
18:10 Martha outlines the tests for entry into the program
20:44 Martha states that employers hiring new talent suffer training overhead followed by attrition
21:40 The Smoothstack/WiCyS program pays candidates to get trained to readiness and guarantees employers two years minimum
23:40 Martha explains that cybersecurity has become a sellers' market and that jobs remain open because employers cannot pay enough
26:20 Lynn explains her motivation and drive to build such programs
27:23 Martha asks our listeners to join WiCyS, noting that membership is very affordable
28:23 Lynn echoes Martha's advice and recommends browsing the WiCyS website
28:47 Allan asks listeners to dontate to WiCyS

Links:
Learn more about WiCyS at www.wicys.org and on Twitter and on LinkedIn
Learn more about Smoothstack at smoothstack.com
Learn more about Lynn Dohm on LinkedIn and on Twitter
Learn more about Martha Laughman on LinkedIn and on Twitter
Follow Allan Alford on LinkedIn and Twitter
Learn more about Hacker Valley Studio and The Cyber Ranch Podcast
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