Raytheon Technologies’ intelligence and space business will offer $30,000 worth of scholarships to help boost underrepresented communities in the cybersecurity field.
The Arlington, Virginia-based company said Monday it will present three scholarships of $10,000 apiece via (ISC)2, a cybersecurity-focused nonprofit organization.
“Cybersecurity threats continue to grow, and to meet these threats, we must bring our best thinking to the table. We do so by welcoming diverse talent that historically have not been connected to the cybersecurity industry,” said Jon Check, executive director of cyber protection solutions at Raytheon Intelligence & Space.
Check elaborated, saying the scholarship comes from both a need to diversify the workforce in the STEM cohort and the fact that business will be benefitted by expanding the talent pool to include people from all backgrounds and result in “more creative brainstorming, problem solving, and new ideas.”
With the scholarship, the companies hope to ease the process of minority groups attaining STEM jobs in the future.
Eligible for the scholarship are students who are enrolled in a cybersecurity or information security program, or in a related field. Three students will be selected based on their dedication, ability and economic disadvantage.
(ISC)2’s charitable foundation, the Center for Cyber Safety and Education, is heading up the initiative. Check and Tara Wisniewski, executive vice president of advocacy, global markets and member engagement at (ISC)² both highlighted how the world’s information and data will be better protected as a result of this endeavor.
