Purdue partners with ThriveDX to help close a talent gap in cybersecurity  

Purdue University is partnering with ThriveDX, a global leader in cyber training and talent development, on a program to find and train new personnel or reskill existing employees for roles in cybersecurity. 

The partnership stems from ThriveDX’s selection as one of the organizations providing “Related Technical Instruction” for Apprenti, a nonprofit focused on technology-oriented apprenticeship that won a $23.5 million dollar grant through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Good Jobs Challenge. 

Purdue will work with its abundance of business and industry partners to publicize the program and help engage employers to participate in apprenticeships, which could potentially lead to full-time jobs in positions such as cybersecurity analyst and related roles. 

The Good Jobs Challenge grant helps continue and expand Apprenti’s work in providing access to quality and skills-based tech-related training, fair-paying apprenticeships, and opportunities to then continue into good-paying jobs, often where participants have served as apprentices. The grant also focuses on supporting underrepresented and veteran communities in training for and entering the tech industry. ThriveDX is working with Apprenti to address a national cyber talent shortage by significantly offsetting the costs of training. 

Apprenti is a nonprofit organization that delivers registered apprenticeship programs to bridge tech talent and diversity gaps. Apprenti creates pathways to access tech talent and help organizations address digital skills shortages. The organization was awarded the Good Jobs Challenge grant to develop and deploy diverse tech talent through the pathway of registered apprenticeship. 

ThriveDX provides cybersecurity training to upskill and reskill lifelong learners. ThriveDX’s hands-on cybersecurity bootcamps are designed to create a sustainable talent pipeline of cybersecurity professionals from all backgrounds, especially from underrepresented and under-resourced communities. 

The ThriveDX curriculum, which has been reviewed by Purdue faculty, offers cyber training centered around skills-based learning in immersive hands-on classes and labs based on real-world scenarios and industry tools such as Wireshark, Splunk, Kali Linux, PacketTracer, Snort IDS, Linux, and Python. 

The curriculum includes key modules covering such topics as network administration, cybersecurity fundamentals, network and application security, incident handling, forensics, malware analysis, ethical hacking and incident response, secure design principles, risk management, and threat intelligence. The program also includes a CompTIA® Security+ exam prep course and CompTIA Network+ exam prep designed to prepare students for valuable industry certification. 

The program’s instructors are experienced cybersecurity professionals who bring industry insights and familiarity with emerging technologies to the table. Delivered remotely, the program offers an immersive experience over three months full-time or eight months part-time, blending daily virtual classes with self-study. Apprentices gain hands-on experience through real-world simulation practices that accurately reflect the constantly evolving nature of cybersecurity. 

“From Purdue’s perspective, the benefits of this partnership are two-fold,” said Dimitrios Peroulis, senior vice president for Purdue University Online. “We’re opening up another avenue for serving our business and industry partners who need cybersecurity talent, and at the same time it is another way Purdue can help meet a national need for training programs in a vital field where demand for trained personnel currently outstrips supply.” 

“ThriveDX is proud to be approved to deliver cybersecurity training under Apprenti’s Good Jobs Challenge grant,” stated Desiree Young, global executive vice president of partnership and strategic innovation. “As we continuously strive to improve equity in access to cyber training and education for learners from all walks of life, especially those from under-resourced and underserved communities, working together with the Apprenti apprenticeship program and prestigious academic institutions like Purdue is how we can reach our common goal of making an impact in the massive cybersecurity skills gap and workforce shortage that continues to grow.”  

For more information, visit this website about the Apprenti Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program.