RALEIGH – North Carolina veterans, reservists and National Guard members can now get free online training to become certified in skills sought in the job-rich cybersecurity field.

North Carolina’s entry into the CyberVetsUSA initiative was announced Wednesday by Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration and Cisco Systems at a meeting of the NCWorks Commission. Cisco, Amazon Web Services and other companies provide content for the online classes.

“North Carolina is the most military friendly state in the nation and we’re proud that so many of our veterans choose to stay here when they return to civilian life. Veterans play a crucial role in powering our economy and we must make sure they have the skills they need to thrive in the workforce. The cybersecurity field is vital to the 21st century economy and I’m pleased that Cisco recognizes that North Carolina’s talented veterans are the perfect fit for these important jobs,” Cooper said in a statement.

Military users and their spouses who enroll in the roughly three-month classes can obtain career assistance and a free voucher to obtain industry certifications. CyberVetsUSA already is helping veterans seeking employment in Maryland and Virginia.

“Cisco recognizes the value of bringing veterans into the workplace and is proud to support North Carolina’s CyberVetsUSA program to help provide educational and career opportunities for veterans in the high-demand field of cybersecurity,” said Tae Yoo, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Cisco. “CyberVetsUSA North Carolina also allows us to deepen our commitment in North Carolina, home to Cisco’s second largest U.S. campus.”

Cisco operates one of its largest corporate campuses in Research Triangle Park.

CyberVetsUSA says there are 18,000 open information technology jobs in North Carolina.

“Program participants can choose from over a dozen highly sought-after courses to earn certifications in cybersecurity operations, secure infrastructure, software engineering, operations/technical support, security management, and network security,” Cooper’s office explained.

“Additionally, they will have access to mentoring and career resources as well as direct connections to employment opportunities.”

Learn more online at: https://veterans.ncworks.gov/vosnet/Default.aspx