Our Beginning – CyberUp

These are just a few of the headlines that inspired a group of regional leaders to come together and to create CyberUp. As a country, we are looking at massive shortages in the availability of talent now and over the next five years. As a region, we saw the need to have a single voice advocating for a non-traditional pathway to employment and to engage youth in learning about opportunities in cybersecurity.

With the support of Scott Air Force Base, our Founding Sponsor, Uncomn, and our Premier Sponsor, LMI, CyberUp has quickly established itself as a national leader grounded in Midwestern values. Our programs lead both adults and youth to pursue careers in cybersecurity and to ensure our region becomes a model other communities follow.

As we look forward, our goal is to connect academic, nonprofit, corporate, military, and government partners to see the value in investing in this generation of cyber professionals and serving alongside the next. With a subject as complex and ever-changing as cybersecurity, it takes everyone working collectively towards one goal!

Timeline of CyberUp Beginning

Celebrating “What’s Right with the Region”

May 16, 2019

We had the pleasure of being recognized as a “What’s Right with the Region” awardee by FOCUS St. Louis. we had the pleasure of being recognized as a “What’s Right with the Region” awardee by FOCUS St. Louis. For a little over three years, the team has poured our hearts and our souls into the mission of CyberUp. We have ebbed and flowed with our programs but remain committed to level the playing field for non-traditional talent. To see our mission honored as an “innovative solution” was truly amazing.

Midwest Cyber Center Changes Name To CyberUp

May 13, 2019

We are proud of our regional roots and feel fortunate for the national recognition we have received from groups like the Department of Labor and New America. We hope our growth brings a positive light to the amazing collective work of our community. While planning for 2019, it became clear our work has evolved beyond the concept of a center and our mission needed a brand reflective of the future of the organization. We wanted a logo our company partners would be proud to promote. We wanted a brand that can grow with us as we continue to shake up cybersecurity hiring best practices. We are beyond ecstatic to share the new name of the…

Opening Up a Pathway for True Entry Level Talent

February 7, 2019

The Midwest Cyber Center (MC²) kicked off their first Cybersecurity Pre-Apprenticeship Program late January at T-REX. The State of Missouri funded two cohorts of 10 students to go through MC²’s 8 week, in-person program. The pre-apprenticeship program is intended to provide another educational path for career seekers to enter the cybersecurity field. This 8 week, in-class, instructor taught course helps candidates learn workplace readiness skills, IT Fundamentals, and the NIST Framework. In addition to better employment readiness, candidates earn their CompTIA IT Fundamentals certification through the course. At the completion of the program, they will graduate into MC²’s Registered Apprenticeship Program eligible for placement at a company.

Midwest Cyber Center, Monsanto team up to support apprenticeship program

July 29, 2018

Midwest Cyber Center has teamed up with Monsanto Company to support its cybersecurity apprenticeship program. “Apprenticeships are a perfect fit for non-traditional learners to gain access to high paying technology jobs,” said Tony Bryan, executive director of Midwest Cyber Center. We recognize the talent gap within the industry and our community, and we are proud to support MC2 and other organizations who have a mission dedicated to community outreach, education, and job placement.

Cyber apprenticeships: old solution to a new problem

February 14, 2018

Masterclock brought on a student in a new cybersecurity apprenticeship program run by the Midwest Cyber Center, a St. Louis nonprofit. Apprenticeships, in which companies hire inexperienced workers and pay them to learn on the job, are rare in the U.S. But supporters think they could be a promising way to grow the cybersecurity talent pool. Currently, mainstream models of education aren’t cutting it: U.S. universities conferred just 64,405 computer and information sciences bachelor’s degrees during the 2015–2016 academic year. And when it comes to cybersecurity, according to MC2 executive director Tony Bryan, “most employers aren’t necessarily as concerned with a traditional degree” as much as the certifications and specific technical skills. Plus, the apprentices are paid, offering a pathway for people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford to stop working to expand their skill sets.

Midwest Cyber Center Creates First Cyber Registered Apprenticeship Program In The St. Louis Region

April 16, 2017

The Midwest Cyber Center (MC²) announced that it has partnered with St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) to introduce the first Cybersecurity Analyst Registered Apprenticeship program to the St. Louis region. The goal of the new apprenticeship program is to provide another educational path for career seekers to enter the cybersecurity field.

Midwest Cyber Center to Support New Missions at Scott AFB

November 9, 2015

Leaders in southwestern Illinois last month launched the Midwest Cyber Center of Excellence, a non-profit organization formed to address unprecedented needs in the cybersecurity labor market being projected by local military, financial, healthcare, government and law enforcement agencies. The center’s top priority will be workforce development, especially in connection with the growing “cyber footprint” at Scott Air Force Base, which in December will start serving as the home for two newly created Air Force cybersecurity squadrons, according to a press release from the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois.

Organizations Launch Midwest Cyber Center of Excellence

October 28, 2015

Metro-east leaders took a big step toward addressing the soaring need for cyber-security workers around the St. Louis region by announcing Tuesday morning the launch of the Midwest Cyber Center of Excellence. The center will serve the needs of undergraduate college students, industry professionals and government and private sector employers, whose demand for cyber-security workers continues to surge annually in lockstep with the evolving nature and complexity of hacker threats from around the globe. The center will also engage in research, help stimulate entrepreneurial activity and provide public education about cyber-security and how to defend against hacking and other online threats.