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MN Cyber Academy

The MN Cyber Academy in St. Paul Minnesota, provides candidates with the skills, knowledge and credentials required to successfully begin or advance a career in the fields of Information Technology and Cybersecurity. This program was designed by Metropolitan State University, Minnesota IT Center of Excellence in collaboration with senior executives and technical staff from the Department of Defense, leading Government Contractors, and Fortune 500 companies.

There is a severe shortage of IT and cybersecurity professionals with the skills, certifications, and problem solving abilities necessary to meet Minnesota’s cybersecurity needs as well as the nation's Cyber Defense challenge. This shortage is expected to persist for years, and represents a tremendous career opportunity for motivated individuals with the right skills and certifications.

Here are the top qualifications sought by every organization, large or small:

  • Demonstrable technical skills in Systems Administration, Computer Networking, Cybersecurity, and SOC Analyst.
  • Strong security analysis and investigation skills
  • DoD approved 8570 baseline certifications in system, networking, or cybersecurity
  • Strong problem solving abilities, analytical, and communication skills
  • A team player with a high level of professionalism and willingness to work hard

MN Cyber Academy programs prepare students for employment with government agencies, government contractors and commercial enterprises in the Midwest region. MN Cyber Academy programs are in response to industry’s need for qualified employees with the right certifications and problem solving skills to be effective in system support, computer network operations (CNO) and computer network defense (CND). While Cyber is the primary focus, this program provides excellent preparation for work in any commercial or civilian IT organization.

Cyber4Heroes Program

The NSA sponsored Cyber4Heroes program is an accelerated cohort-based cybersecurity training program that provides training for stacked certifications to enter or advance in the cybersecurity field and workforce. The program helps prepare and place transitioning military veterans, first responders, and other underrepresented minorities into various cybersecurity work roles by providing free training, certification vouchers, and other resources to all eligible participants. The program offers the following two paths:

  • Introductory: The Cyber4Heroes introductory path comprises of CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, CySA+, and Linux+ Certifications.
  • Advanced: The Cyber4Heroes advanced path comprises of Cisco CCNA, EC-Council CEH, Cisco Cyber Ops, Palo Alto Networks PCNSA, and Cyber Range based Incident Response course.

In addition to the cybersecurity training, a well-rounded soft skills training, career counseling, opportunity to meet with industry experts, and job placement through career expo, is also included in the Cyber4Heroes program.

Schedule

  • Introductory Path first offering: January 2021
  • Introductory Path next offering: January 2022
  • Advance Path first offering: January 2022

Cybersecurity for Hmong

The Cyber4Heroes program is also available for Hmong, Southeast Asian, immigrant and refugee communities through Hmong American Partnership, a longstanding leader in empowering these communities.

For more information about MN Cyber Academy offerings, please contact cyber.training@metrostate.edu.