WICYS
Apprenticeship
Program
2023 applications will be available to all WiCyS members with priority going to qualified female veterans.
Applications opening soon.
WiCyS DOL-Certified Apprenticeship Partner:
WITH OUR GRATITUDE
WiCyS is prioritizing qualifying female veterans.
Here are the reasons why we are prioritizing veteran members:
- Military career experience can align nicely with cybersecurity careers
- Female veterans make up 10% of the veteran population
- However, female veterans have a higher likelihood of unemployment compared to male veterans, single parenthood compared to male veterans, and homelessness compared to female non-veterans
Apprenticeships
We are pleased to offer this opportunity for female members and veterans within the WiCyS community. To qualify there is no prior work experience required, but applicants must have basic knowledge of programming language and the aptitude/passion for cybersecurity. US citizenship is required.
Apprenticeship placements include:
- Site Reliability Engineer
- AWS Certified DevSecOps Engineer
- Security Engineer
- Penetration Tester
- Security Analyst
- NOC/SOC Analyst
- And more
Qualifications for Applications?
Identified as a member of the WiCyS organization (with priorty to veteran members)
Ready to join the WiCyS Apprenticeship Program (prioritizing veterans)?
Awesome! WiCyS, along with our apprenticeship partner, Smoothstack, and our employer partners are ready to honor YOU AND THOSE WHO SERVED by providing this training and apprenticeship opportunity to help pave your path into a thriving cybersecurity career! The 2021 cohort is currently full. Next round of applications available in 2022!
WiCyS Provides:
WiCyS Membership
Access to all WiCyS programs
WiCyS Mentorship
WiCyS Conference Scholarship
WiCyS Global Recognition
smoothstack Provides:
Training and Industry Certifications
Pay Package at $55,000+ & 401K
Health, Vision and Dental Insurance
Paid Holidays
Relocation Assistance
Career Counseling
Professional Resume/Interview Skill Prep
Continued Professional Development
Industry Certifications:
CompTia Net+
CompTia Sec+
CySA+
Linux+
Cisco CyberOps
All cohorts will receive training for certifications and vouchers for the tests (upon completion and request). The specific certifications will depend on the accepted job role.
WiCyS 2021 Veterans’ Apprenticeship Cohort
WiCyS 2021 Veterans’ Apprentice Cohort Impact:
100 Interviews
21 Veterans Selected
17 Final Recipients
8 Employed in Cybersecurity via Smoothstack
8 Employed in Cybersecurity
1 Finishing MS in Cybersecurity
WiCyS Veterans’ Apprenticeship Program. Copyright © 2022 Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS). All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced or used in any manner without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. To request permissions contact [email protected].
Join the WiCyS team as an Apprenticeship Employer Partner:
Employer Partner Benefits:
- Globally recognized and branded as an employer partner in the WiCyS Apprenticeship Program
- Announced in WiCyS news release, marketing materials, conference, etc. as an employer partner
- Save time and money by reducing recruiting efforts, we do the recruiting
- Less turnover, apprentices stay with their employer
- Reduced onboarding and training costs, we customize training so employees are ready to go on day 1
- Apprentices/employees are already vetted and ready for seamless integration into the team
- Employer partners enjoy diverse talent in this ready-made workforce
Employer Partner Qualifications:
- Must be a WiCyS Tier 1 or Tier 2 strategic partner
- Budget and headcount approved to onboard a cohort of WiCyS Apprentices as hourly contractors
- Have a defined skill set they can communicate to Smoothstack in order to customize the program to their specifications
- Signed contract with Smoothstack
To become an Employer Partner, contact Lynn Dohm at [email protected]
Laura Sturgeon
“The WiCyS veterans’ apprenticeship program impacted me and my cybersecurity career. It provided me the opportunity to work with an amazing organization like Bloomberg and grow as a cybersecurity professional new to the field. It allowed me to work side-by-side with highly skilled professionals and further develop myself. I am certain that I would have not had the chance to work at Bloomberg had I not been in a cybersecurity program like the WiCyS veterans’ apprenticeship program. So I am extremely grateful for this opportunity.”
Ricalyn Pascua (US Army Veteran)
Smoothstack, Inc. and Flexport Company
“Success comes from the fervent passion to succeed. And that goes along way with the right mindset, discipline, structure in life, and consistent hard work. All of these are the key ingredients blended together which helped me succeed in any endeavors that I take from start to finish. The Veterans Apprenticeship Program has been very instrumental in my successful career transition from my military service, engineering career, and now, as a Cybersecurity Analyst!”
Jenny Graham
“The truth is that WiCys has been integral to my success in Cybersecurity. I would not have this opportunity otherwise. I am eternally grateful!