Radford Agrees To Partnership With NCI

(From left to right) IMPACT Executive Director Matt Dunleavy was joined by Radford University President Brian O. Hemphill and staff in the Vinod Chachra IMPACT Lab to celebrate the program’s partnership with New College Institute’s Executive Director Leanna Blevins and Assistant Director of Academics and Communications Melany Stowe.

MARTINSVILLE-The New College Institute will launch a cybersecurity program this fall, with the help of a new partner.

Over the weekend, officials at Radford University announced that the school would work with NCI to offer exclusive opportunities at Martinsville to prepare professionals working for multiple cyber defense certifications.

This comes after the NCI organized a similar training program in June. Working with James Madison University at that time, the NCI held a four-day conference to train teachers in different cybersecurity methods.

In this case, the Radford program, dubbed IMPACT, was designated in 2016 as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber ​​Defense by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

"This is another momentous day for us," said Matt Dunleavy, Executive Director of IMPACT, in a prepared statement. "All this is a manifestation of the vision of President [Radford] Hemphill, and with today's celebration of our newest partner, we take another step forward in his vision of a highly innovative university."

Last year, approximately 78 million cyber attacks were launched against companies or local governments within the republic, according to state data.

In 200 of those cases, a data breach was reported. It is estimated that there are 36,000 jobs open in cybersecurity in 650 companies within the state.

The program helps prepare job seekers for high-demand professions in cybersecurity, geospatial intelligence and different educational professions throughout the Commonwealth and beyond.

NCI officials said they were happy to be part of the program and offered new opportunities to the residents of Henry County.

"We are committed to partnerships like this that connect best practices in higher education with the needs of the industry," said NCI Executive Director Leanna Blevins. "By working with our local chamber of commerce and other partners in the regional workforce, we can significantly reduce costs for businesses."

The IMPACT program is a competency-based education model that focuses on teaching specific job-related skills that are necessary to perform critical cyber defense tasks for companies.

The program will be delivered mainly online in a self-taught manner along with face-to-face seminars at the NCI. Participants will earn 18 credit hours within twelve months.

The IMPACT faculty will also prepare participants for multiple cyber defense certifications recognized by the industry.

These include CompTIA Security +, CISCO CCENT, CompTIA Network +, SANS GCIH (Certified Incident Handler), SANS GPEN (Pen Tester) and CISSP.

Cyber ​​defense

NCI is also providing an option through Radford University for teachers and professionals; a course of four credits in cyber defense.

The content is aligned with the CISSP certification and participants have twelve months to complete the program.

Teachers can learn how and why attackers perform password decryption, network tracing and other attacks. They can also learn to use detection systems, integrity checkers and other tools to protect computers against potential hackers.

IMPACT classes will begin at the NCI on September 1. An information luncheon will be offered at the NCI this Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. The IMPACT program representatives will review the program and answer questions.

Representatives of the West Piedmont Workforce Investment Board will also assist in reviewing the employer's reimbursement options for the IMPACT program.