TAMPA, Fla. (PRWEB)
February 18, 2020

A new survey from University of Phoenix and the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) found that 59% of surveyed companies with 100 or more employees plan to staff information security professionals in 2020. However, candidates in the job market may not have the skills employers are seeking. According to the survey, 67% of IT executives at companies with at least 100 employees or more require industry certifications as a basic requirement for hiring considerations.

The joint survey aimed to uncover IT employers’ perceptions during the hiring process. The findings highlighted the importance of cybersecurity degree programs paired with stackable credentials aligned to military job roles and occupations. Of the 256 IT employers who were polled, 86% said that industry certifications aligned to cyber-affiliated U.S. military job roles and occupations play an important role when hiring candidates. In fact, almost half (48%) agreed they are either very important or absolutely essential and 84% consider them to be the “gold standard” when hiring

“Cyber threats are growing exponentially, and IT employers must ensure that the candidates they are hiring possess the proper education and skills to take on these threats,” said Stephanie Benoit-Kurtz, lead cybersecurity faculty at the University’s Las Vegas Campus. “Organizations often don’t have the time or funding to invest in developing employees, and these industry certifications often provide the minimum standards to prepare professionals to combat today’s cyber threats.”

Highly regarded cybersecurity industry certifications with aligned job roles and outcomes may be easier to obtain than you think. The survey found that nearly all IT executives (91%) said that they would be likely to provide tuition assistance to an employee seeking to earn a degree that helps prepare for industry certification aligned to U.S. military job roles and occupations.

“We tend to look at the bigger picture of career opportunities as a nation, when we should be focusing on what skills and credentials employers’ value most when considering a candidate,” said Wesley Alvarez, director of academics, EC-Council. “As much as they love to hack, it is paramount that graduating students who achieved these challenging credentials understand how to harness their skills in a professional environment.”

To help prepare the workforce for today’s cybersecurity positions, University of Phoenix and EC-Council have worked together to provide students with opportunities that focus on degrees which help prepare students for industry certifications. The University offers an Associate in Cybersecurity and electives that are aligned to EC-Council certifications. In October, the University received the EC-Council Academia Circle of Excellence Award for its suite of EC-Council certifications. They include:

In addition to these offerings, University of Phoenix this month announced the launch of a certificate in cybersecurity policy and governance aligned to the Certified Chief Information Security Officer Certification (CCISO). The CCISO is an industry-leading certification that helps prepare professionals to succeed in the highest level of information security.

During the polling, IT employers were asked which industry certifications they believe employees should possess and 44% said the Certified Chief Information Security Officer certification. The Certified Network Defender received 38% and Certified Ethical Hacker received 23%.

“The College of Business and Information Technology is dedicated to providing working adult learners access to the education and skills that are in high demand in today’s industries. These certifications can help prepare professionals to stay one step ahead of cyberattackers,” said Kevin Wilhelmsen, dean of the College of Business and Information Technology. “The CCISO and other certification aligned programs are designed to help working adults balance work and life. Not only will they receive the technical foundation but be able to continue to work in their industry while pursuing their program.”

To learn more about the cybersecurity degrees and certificates offered at University of Phoenix, visit phoenix.edu/degrees/technology/cybersecurity.

For more information on EC-Council offerings, visit http://www.eccouncil.org.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of University of Phoenix from October 10 – 21, 2019 among 256 U.S. adults aged 18 and older who are employed full-time at a company with 100 or more employees, work in IT, and have the job titles of CTO, CIO, Chief Security Officer, Chief Information Security Officer, Information Security Manager, Director of Information Security, or Cybersecurity Manager. Data were weighted where necessary by employee size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. For the purposes of this report, qualified respondents will be referred to as “IT executives.” For complete survey methodology, please contact cooper.nelson@phoenix.edu.

About University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix is innovating to help working adults move efficiently from education to careers in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant and engaging courses, and interactive learning can help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. University of Phoenix serves a diverse student population, offering associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs online and from select campuses and learning centers. For more information, visit phoenix.edu.

About EC-Council

EC-Council’s sole purpose is to build and refine the Cybersecurity profession, globally. We help individuals, organizations, educators, and governments address global workforce problems through the development and curation of world-class Cyber Security Education programs and their corresponding certifications and provide cybersecurity services to some of the largest businesses globally. Trusted by 7 of the Fortune 10, 47 of the Fortune 100, the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, NATO, and over 2000 of the best Universities, Colleges, and Training Companies, our programs have proliferated through over 140 Countries and have set the bar in Cyber Security Education. Best known for the Certified Ethical Hacker program, we are dedicated to equipping over 230,000 information age soldiers with the knowledge, skills and abilities required to fight and win against their black hat adversaries. EC-Council builds individual and team/organization cyber capabilities through the Certified Ethical Hacker Program, followed by a variety of other Cyber programs including Certified Secure Computer User, Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator, Certified Security Analyst, Certified Network Defender, Certified SOC Analyst, Certified Threat Intelligence Analyst, Certified Incident Handler, as well as the Certified Chief Information Security Officer. We are an ANSI 17024 accredited organization and have earned recognition by the DoD under Directive 8570/8140, in the UK by the GCHQ, CREST, and a variety of other authoritative bodies that influence the entire profession. Founded in 2001, EC-Council employs over 400 people worldwide with 10 offices in USA, UK, Malaysia, Singapore, India and Indonesia. Our US offices are in Albuquerque, NM and Tampa, FL.

Learn more at http://www.eccouncil.org.