University of Phoenix and EC-Council release a joint survey that highlights the cyber certifications employers seek in new candidates
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:
