KINGWOOD — Camp Dawson and IBM teamed up for a second public/private collaboration to certify veterans on the QRadar security software on March 23.
A dozen veterans from up and down the East Coast took the free, week-long training and certification course incorporating the security software.
“We are dedicated to training and hiring our veteran community and would like to thank you for participating in the training this week,” said Timi Hadra of IBM and West Virginia Senior State Executive. “Over the past couple of years, we have trained over 600 veterans in two courses. We see QRadar as the forefront and that first level of defense for our customers.”
Aaron Pait of Virginia said his job in the Marine Corps was protecting classified information, and this class fit in with that job.
“I had no formal training in cybersecurity,” Pait said. “This is giving me the opportunity to do that. Defending private entities against adversaries — it could be financial information, intellectual property or something as sensitive as election votes.
Casey Ralston of Tampa, Florida, is taking cybersecurity classes through the University of South Florida and found out about the class through there.
“I decided to do the QRadar class and take the opportunity while I am not working,” Ralston said. “I would like to find a security analyst job, and with my experience level being so low, I am hoping I can find someone who will take a chance on me.”
The program at Camp Dawson is part of a free nationwide training initiative that trains and certifies veterans in the use of IBM software widely used by law enforcement, cybersecurity and national security agencies. Commercial banking and insurance companies also use this software to investigate fraud or other criminal activity.
IBM and Corporate America Supports You (CASY) work together to help veterans transition into the workforce when coming out of the military. CASY is a national non-profit that specializes in job placement assistance for veterans.
“This public/private partnership with CASY is one example, and as a West Virginia employer, we are proud to lead this partnership to provide training opportunities for our veterans,” Hadra said. “The Veteran Employment Accelerator Grant program provides returning service members with hands-on training, certification and job placement assistance in the fast-growing tech sector.”
According to a corporate press release, IBM is committed to hiring 2,000 veterans in the United States over the next four years. Several organizations are collaborating to offer what they are calling “new collar” technical training, certification and job placement assistance to veterans in West Virginia.
Representatives from Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., addressed the veterans during the class.
“Certification in this software will give them the foundation they need to land promising new career opportunities,” a Manchin statement read. “They know that our veterans have the talents, the skills and the total dedication that today’s employers demand.”
“The 21st-century economy is creating opportunities for careers in fields that are critical to our economy — like cybersecurity — and training partnerships like this will go a long way in developing a workforce that is ready to meet the growing jobs demand,” Capito said in a statement. “The Appalachian region is primed for ‘new collar’ partnerships to bring more technology jobs to the region.”
McKinley pointed out that the Mountain State will be in need of more people to fill tech-related positions.
“With NOAA expanding their operations in Fairmont and the Department of Commerce looking to locate their cybersecurity operations to the state, these skills are in increasing demand,” McKinley’s statement read. “This program will help them enter the civilian workforce and fill these high-paying jobs when they return home.”