Northeast Independent School District notified 5,000 current and former employees in August about a possible data breach caused by a cyberattack.
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A new cybersecurity school opening in San Antonio promises paid training, job placement and continuing education for those seeking careers in the fast-growing field.
Delaware-based cybersecurity training company NukuDo has opened its San Antonio U.S. headquarters within the Geekdom co-working space downtown. NukuDo is the U.S. branch of Singapore-operated cybersecurity school Red Alpha.
The school's model differs from job-training programs like for-profit computer coding bootcamps or city-subsidized workforce development: Instead of paying out of pocket or using public funds, students are paid $4,000 a month by the company for the duration of their training and agree to work for three years at a company-assigned location after completing the course.
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“We commercialized the assessment and selection process and said, 'OK, let's put our money where our mouth is and go all out and be completely transparent,'” said Nkudu and RedAlpha CEO Dean Geffen, who moved with his family to San Antonio from Singapore once the company got going. “Anyone who passes the selection test, we hire them, train them at our own expense, and then place them in our organization. That's our model.”
The idea resonated with Michael Blair, who became involved with NukuDo while working for the regional economic development corporation Greater:SATX, which was trying to attract NukuDo to the area.
He said he knows San Antonio's tech community was hit hard when computer coding bootcamp CodeUp suddenly folded in December, leaving 112 students losing tens of thousands of dollars and 21 staff members without jobs.
But NukuDo leaders say their model is different from the cybersecurity industry.
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“Private Sector Solutions”
“Before I got a company that really wanted to hire me, I worked all day recruiting companies in San Antonio,” said Blair, who left Greater SATX in March to become managing director of NukuDo in San Antonio.
He said no public funds were used to attract the company to the deal.
“We are a 100 per cent private sector solution to a private sector problem,” Blair said.
While the model has no upfront costs for students, the three-year work commitment may impact their income in the short term, but Blair said trainees will leave with training, qualifications, experience and a network of classmates to contact.
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“With this experience, they've gone from making $66,000 in their first year with us to now making over $150,000, because that's all the industry is looking for in a salesperson with that level of skill and expertise,” he said.
Related: Codeup's sudden collapse has stunned students at the computer coding bootcamp, who now face an uncertain future.
The cybersecurity industry is growing due to the emergence of new technologies and new threats, but the growth rate is slowing and some companies are cutting jobs, according to an annual report from cybersecurity trade group ISC2. Artificial intelligence has brought uncertainty to the industry, but the skills remain in demand. There is a workforce shortage of about 4 million cybersecurity professionals worldwide, according to ISC2.
According to the White House, there are more than 500,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs across the U.S. San Antonio and Texas city leaders are working to make the city a leader in cybersecurity.
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NukuDo began accepting applications in February, and school officials selected 15 applicants for the first group to begin training in March.
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The full-time, bootcamp-style program lasts 4-6 months, with 80% of the curriculum focused on hands-on problem-solving skills, one trainer for every six students, and graduates earn industry certifications.
“We believe in these people so much that we're willing to invest in them to basically spend six months learning and getting certified,” Blair says, “so it's not just NukuDo saying, 'This person is qualified,' it's literally the industry saying this person is qualified by their own standards.”
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NukuDo says it will place graduates in companies to gain at least three years of work experience, during which time they will remain employees of NukuDo.
After the three-year term is over, the school plans to keep in touch with graduates through twice-yearly continuing education training.
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Blair said the company aims to train 300 students in San Antonio within three years and 1,000 students across the U.S. within five years.
Jenna Saucedo Herrera, president of Greater:SATX, said San Antonio beat out New York City and Tampa, Fla., in the competition for the company's headquarters location.
“With NukuDO joining our community, we are poised to demonstrate our unparalleled support for cyber businesses looking to expand and thrive,” she said in a statement on Thursday.
Applications for future cohorts are being accepted on the company's website.
A company spokesman said NukuDo and its affiliate Red Alpha are not affiliated with the China-backed hacker group known as RedAlpha.
