UMBC Training Centers, LLC (A subsidiary of the University of Maryland Baltimore County) entered into a joint venture with Cape Augusta, LLC to provide Cybersecurity workforce development, training and human capital development at Augusta Cyberworks, the mixed use Cybersecurity Campus currently under development at the historic Sibley Mill Campus. The Cyber Training Facility which will initially include sufficient classroom space and facilities to train in excess of 200 candidates a year.

Training Centers have been offering cyber related training to public and private entities for over a decade, making UMBC Training Centers a respected player in cyber education. Courses in their certificate program are expected to begin in early 2017, soon after the completion of Phase 1 of the SIbley Mill renovation.

Kent Malwitz, President of UMBC Training Centers said of the joint venture; “We are excited to expand our efforts to Augusta, GA through our partnership with Cape Augusta and are looking forward to bringing to bear the expertise we have developed working with the intel community and the DoD to the growing demand for cybersecurity talent at and around Ft. Gordon. Based on the growth of cyber in the mid-Atlantic, we can attest that the growth of cyber in Augusta represents a tremendous opportunity for the community, and its members. We look forward to helping prepare individuals and organizations for the important work in cyber that is being done there now and as it continues to grow.”

Cape Augusta CEO James Ainslie commented, “We, felt the Augusta Cyberworks needed to take bold steps to assist our city, state and nation in developing keen minds capable of making a difference in the critical arena of cyber security. Partnering with UMBC Training Centers who are pre-eminent in Cyber Training in the mid-Atlantic, brings to Augusta an organization built on outstanding experience, collaboration with those who have cyber training needs, and delivers a curriculum that has long been a success in developing desirable, employable cyber professionals. DC and Baltimore are the pace-setters in Cyber and to have an institution of this scale and experience come to Augusta is a massive win for our city.”

2 million Cybersecurity jobs will be vacant in the US by the end of 2019. According to the Department of Homeland Security that number currently sits at about 1 million vacancies. With Cyber attacks growing in number and effect and the entrance of Nation State actors in militarized and weaponized Cyber Programs there can be no doubt that Cyber Security represents one of the most critical national programs in the United States, a problem that presents itself to Public and Private sectors with equal prejudice. It behooves us to respond.  With numbers of potential candidates as low as they are, the experienced few are incubated in National Security programs at significant cost to the Federal Government. However these candidates, as soon as they have the necessary experience and certification, are hired out of their programs by Private Sector companies who can command significantly higher levels of compensation. The human capital dilemma is arguably the largest ever faced by workforce development in recent history. Churn amongst Cyber firms is an average of 17% year on year, even worse still in the public sector.

Ainslie continued. “Along with Augusta University's four year program and the cyber offerings at Augusta Tech we feel that the Cape Augusta-UMBC Training Centers partnership enhances what the city can present to the public and private institutions considering the CSRA as their home. Factor into this Georgia Tech’s industry leading graduate programs and other programs throughout the state, and Georgia and in particular Augusta, becomes a primary destination for the nation's cyber training needs at all levels. We have seen robust demand for our program and our initial indications are that we will exceed our 2017 projections by some significant margin.”

Staging and simulation of real world Cyber Scenarios is a key part of this offering. And the partnership intends to deploy a 40,000 sq. ft multi-level cyber range which will be placed in service in 2017 will provide candidates with the best possible facilities for multi-environment staging of real world Cyber Security events, as well as providing a unique facility that might be leveraged by other academic institutions and private sector users.

Augusta Cyberworks phase 1, which includes housing the local technology integrator EDTS, is scheduled to open near the end of 2016. The Augusta home for the The Augusta Cyberworks home for UMBC Training Centers Cyber Academy will open officially early in 2017 and is already providing training to Fort Gordon.