According to Forbes, Vermont, which is known for its maple syrup production, has the smallest economy in the United States, with a GDP of $35 billion. Vermont’s primary industries, such as agriculture, energy, manufacturing, and technology, compensate for its small size by maintaining a five-year average unemployment rate of 2.9 percent, the lowest among its competitors. A varied array of enterprises that supply software, including IBM, one of the largest technology companies in the United States, are among its investments in software development and information technology across industries. Jobs in the tech sector are expected to rise at a 7.5 percent annual rate from 2014 to 2022, according to Vermont data analysts. According to Vermont’s tourism website, tech professionals in Vermont create an estimated $5.6 billion in yearly compensation, earning more than 63 percent more than the state average. Despite the state’s high business costs of 12 percent, the Agency of Commerce and Community Development continuously invests in new industries to attract enterprises and keep them expanding. Since 2018, the state has focused on revamping high schools and colleges to provide professional routes for students in high-growth areas such as manufacturing, construction, and cybersecurity. Vermont’s investments in cybersecurity have grown quickly, offering new opportunities for employment engagement and economic growth as one of the few governments to adopt a complete economic development strategy.
Growing Awareness of Cybersecurity in Vermont
Vermont’s key initiatives highlight an artificial intelligence task force as a critical component for the state’s protection against digital security breaches as part of the state’s overall economic development strategy for 2020. Its task team will look at artificial intelligence and how it may help Vermont’s technology sector expand sustainably. Vermont earned a $1.5 million joint grant with Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island, according to the state’s Office of Economic Adjustment Defense Industry. As part of its diversification efforts, the state will form the Increased England Regional Defense Industry Collaboration with the purpose of defending against cyber-attacks and creating defense-related enterprises to satisfy new cybersecurity needs and production targets. Vermont’s development in education includes a collaboration with Norwich University to establish a Cybersecurity Operations Center, which is one of the state’s primary priorities. The centre will teach students how to defend against the state’s millions of digital attacks each year, as well as provide real-world training for future careers, such as federal posts with the Department of Defense. Governor Phil Scott also teamed up with the SANS Institute to launch the Girls Go CyberStart initiative, which teaches high school students about cybersecurity and career options. The state’s Agency of Commerce & Community Development awarded NuHarbor Security $325,000 from the Vermont Training Program (VTP) and the Vermont Employment Growth Incentive (VEGI) programme to provide online learning and hands-on training to its employees, in addition to emphasising its initiatives on student engagement.
Cybersecurity Degrees in Vermont
Vermont’s Agency of Education offers a variety of academic options, collaborating with career and technical institutes to establish cybersecurity job pathways for high school and college students. Professional development events for teachers from specialised centres and universities are held on a regular basis to prepare them for Vermont’s Career Pathway in Cybersecurity programme. Governor Scott stated, “Starting these projects now is especially critical because it will help mitigate the impact of retirements across Vermont’s sophisticated manufacturing business.” “In addition, cybersecurity is one of the country’s and the world’s fastest-growing industries. We have the opportunity to generate and recruit high-paying tech sector jobs through a competent, in-demand workforce by developing a K-16 cybersecurity career pipeline,” Governor Scott said.
ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE
Students can receive an associate of science in information technology at the Community College of Vermont. Students in the information technology curriculum learn networking, programming, and operating systems, as well as have the option of focusing on one of three focus areas: networking, programming, or website building. Students will be able to use computer language to solve problems, manage software applications, and plan networking solutions after completing the programme. Students can get an associate of science in computer information technology at Vermont Technical College. Students will learn how to design software systems, deploy secure data networks, and reinforce telecommunication infrastructures as part of this programme. Students who enrol in this degree programme will get knowledge of systems administration, web design, and programming fundamentals. Because the curriculum teaches students the fundamentals of programming, participants will be able to expand their technical knowledge into other fields.
BACHELOR’S DEGREE
Students at Norwich University have a variety of opportunities for starting and continuing their study in computer science, information technology, and cybersecurity. Students interested in obtaining a well-rounded degree in the information technology field can pursue a bachelor of science in cybersecurity, commonly known as a computer security and information assurance degree, at the institution. Students seeking a cybersecurity degree at Norwich will use core digital forensics, information assurance, and digital incident investigation procedures, as well as grasp cyber-law and cyber-crime, and employ programming languages to tackle network defence problems. On-campus and online courses are available in the bachelor’s degree programme, with concentrations and minors in forensics, information assurance management, computer forensics and vulnerability management, and information warfare and security management available in both segments. Along with Norwich, The University of Vermont offers a generalist focus in information systems and computer science, with two degrees available in computer science and information systems and computer science. Programming, database design, data structure, algorithms, and data analysis are all covered in both degrees. The information systems component of the computer science and information systems degree focuses on business administration and economics, whereas the computer science degree focuses on programming as a foundation for subsequent degrees. Computer science is also available as a minor at the University of Vermont, which can be combined with other majors. At the bachelor’s degree level, Champlain College offers four options. For adult students, there is an on-campus degree in Computer Networking & Cybersecurity as well as an online degree in Cybersecurity. The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have designated both programmes as Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyberdefense Education (DHS). Champlain College now provides an on-campus Computer and Digital Forensics degree as well as an online Computer Forensics and Digital Investigations degree. The Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center has designated both programmes as National Centers for Digital Forensics Academic Excellence (DC3). Students in both majors work in the Leahy Center for Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity at Champlain College. Since its inception in 2010, the Leahy Center for Digital Forensics & Cybersecurity has become Champlain College’s principal hub for digital forensics and cybersecurity. It’s a world-class laboratory with cutting-edge equipment that offers digital forensics and cybersecurity services to a wide range of clients, from government agencies to small enterprises. All students enrolled in an on-campus degree programme at Champlain College can take a Cybersecurity Minor or a Digital Forensics Minor. Students can earn a bachelor’s degree in computer information technology from Vermont Technical College. The degree programme provides a stronger technical grounding in programming software systems, analysing and interpreting databases, and managing technological infrastructures for higher education, similar to the associate’s degree.
MASTER’S DEGREE
Students interested in advancing their skills in the theoretical fundamentals of cybersecurity can pursue an online master’s degree in cybersecurity at Norwich University. The master’s programme will teach you how to manage computer assets, respond to incidents, and conduct forensic investigations, as well as how to use such abilities in a complex business setting. Project management, vulnerability assessments, cyber legislation, and forensic investigation are among the concentrations available in the degree programme. Champlain College offers two master’s degrees in information security and digital forensics that can be completed entirely online. Students who complete an information security degree programme learn to analyse information technology risks, conduct vulnerability assessments, comprehend cyber law, and implement security management processes. The cyberlaw component of the digital forensics programme teaches students about digital investigations, operating systems, cyber law principles, and digital encryption.
Cybersecurity Certifications in Vermont
Colleges in Vermont offer a variety of undergraduate and graduate certificate programmes for individuals interested in advancing their careers in cybersecurity and information systems. Champlain College offers a variety of credentials spanning from cybersecurity to information security to students. Graduate credentials in cybersecurity forensics, cyberlaw, and international perspectives are available from Norwich University. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly income for a cybersecurity analyst in Vermont is $38.66, with an annual average wage of $80,420.
Cybersecurity in Vermont
Vermont continues to invest in educational incentives to encourage institutions to offer a diverse range of cybersecurity degree programmes to future students, allowing the state’s technology sector to grow. Through digital security measures and enhanced software development, the state’s cybersecurity remains an ever-expanding promise for attracting business enterprises, generating gross domestic revenue, and improving the lives of Vermont’s residents.
