"Females account for…only 10 percent of the cybersecurity workforce. Partnering with non-profits including schools, libraries, and higher education institutions, Cool Careers in Cybersecurity is addressing the gender gap directly by giving girls a glimpse at what careers in cyber are all about," Dr. Davina Pruitt-Mentle, founder of Cool Careers in Cybersecurity for Girls (C34G), a program which aims to augment female interest across the United States in cybersecurity and other technical subjects, was quoted as saying in the release.
According to the release, around 3,000 middle schoolgirls will have the opportunity to learn more about cybersecurity and other STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics]-related career opportunities through the workshops.
The C34G, started in 2001 in collaboration with the University of Maryland and Prince George's County Parks and Recreation. The first series of workshops were held in 2005. The program is financed by the National Science Foundation.
In June 2014, a study by RAND Corporation indicated that the nationwide shortage of cybersecurity professionals, especially in federal government, is a massive risk for US national and homeland security. The study also said that low salaries in the state sector was a discouraging factor for cybersecurity professionals in working for the government.
