In about six weeks, the Cyber Bytes Foundation will offer evening and weekend courses in data analytics and cybersecurity using Virginia Tech faculty at its Quantico Cyber Hub in North Stafford.

Matt Weaver, director of business development for the Cyber Bytes Foundation, said there is high demand for continuing education in cybersecurity and data analytics. He said although community colleges and universities each offer undergraduate degrees in both the fields, there is a need for career-enhancing courses to help former students stay abreast of the latest industry trends.

“There’s nothing really to get them up-skilled, or to keep them up to date on the latest technology, what’s happening in those career fields,” Weaver said. “We partnered with Virginia Tech to offer the courses that can up-skill that workforce.”

Weaver said his organization tailored the new curriculum to match the needs of cybersecurity practitioners already in the field.

“Since academia doesn’t always match what the practitioner encounters in the field, we took the Virginia Tech curriculum and worked with industry professionals to revise and update the curriculum so it’s valuable for the practitioner,” said Weaver.

Weaver said classes will be administered on the first floor of the building, which also has a certified testing facility.

“The thought is, you come in and do your training and get your certification all in one spot,” said Weaver.

Weaver said there are well over 40,000 cybersecurity jobs open in Northern Virginia.

“That’s a national security problem when you get down to it, and there’s just not enough jobs to do what we need to get done,” said Weaver.

For more information, visit cyberbytesfoundation.org.