U.S. Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) and several local officials on Monday announced a partnership with Long Island’s community colleges and universities to develop the area’s cyber security industry.
The involved parties – which included both Nassau and Suffolk county executives as well as officials from Nassau and Suffolk community colleges and LIU Post – said they would align curriculums and professional opportunities to develop an economic infrastructure that would mirror the island’s former defense industry spearheaded by the Northrop Grumman Corporation.
“This initiative brings together academia, employers and government to establish a curricula that creates job opportunities for graduates in growing technology industries, such as cyber security,” Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano said. “Our cyber security program will assist in growing Nassau’s cyber security industry while providing graduates with well-paying job opportunities and developing tomorrow’s technology to protect our nation.”
A study by the multinational professional services network PricewaterhouseCoopers, whose results were provided in a press release from Israel’s office, revealed there was a 48 percent rise – an estimated 42.8 million, or 117,339 every day – in cyber attacks last year.
Israel wrote in a Newsday editorial published in January that a robust cyber security industry on Long Island could provide much-needed economic relief and provide a sense of economic identity that he said has been lacking for decades.
During a Monday news conference at LIU Post, Israel said, “We need to make sure we’re educating our students to fill these high-paying jobs, and that we’re keeping these jobs on Long Island.”
Though officials did not elaborate on the nature of future educational programs, Kimberly R. Cline, president of LIU Post, said the Brookville college is “committed to this crucial initiative and ensuring that our students will be prepared to take leading roles in the growing industry.”
