CyberUp, a St. Louis nonprofit that provides cybersecurity training for adults and students, has inked a partnership that will expand its footprint beyond St. Louis.
The nonprofit has formed a pact with Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado, to kickstart cybersecurity careers. Through their partnership, CyberUp and Arapahoe Community College will co-create apprenticeship programs with employers in the Denver area. The partnership stems from the Colorado Community College System's CO-TECH apprenticeship program, which formed thanks to a $2 million U.S. Department of Labor grant.
Executive Director Tony Bryan said CyberUp launched in 2017 as a regional collaboration designed to focus on ensuring the St. Louis area has an adequate number of workers for the growing cybersecurity field. CyberUp’s programming includes its apprenticeship program, which is designed to help adults launch careers in cybersecurity, as well as its PowerUp Cyber Games, a virtual competition that includes middle and high school students. While CyberUp has worked with employer partners and placed individuals in apprenticeships in areas outside the St. Louis region, Bryan said the partnership with Arapahoe will be the first time where it seeks to establish a physical presence in another market.
Bryan said CyberUp’s partnership with Arapahoe Community College begins next month and will continue through 2023. CyberUp plans to add an employee in Colorado to lead its expansion efforts there, with hopes of adding that employee in the next 30 to 45 days. Bryan said securing a partner like Arapahoe Community College provides the ability for CyberUp to form additional relationships with other organizations and employers in the region.
“This is a great way for us to jump into a market, start having those conversations and build trust within that community, getting some brand notoriety and recognition,” Bryan said. “The long-term goal is that would evolve to where we drop a physical space and put in an office, multiple team members there advocating for our adult program and youth program.”
CyberUp, which has a team of six, is based in downtown innovation and entrepreneurship center T-Rex. It reported revenue of $330,509 and expenses of $232,484 for the year ended Dec. 31, 2018, according to its most recent tax filing.
