Ten Kiowa tribal members are engaged in a cybersecurity class that will assure them of high-paying jobs after they receive their certification, according to the course’s instructor.
The class was presented to the Kiowa tribe by John Moss, founder and CEO for the nonprofit Cash Community Development, which has a regional office in Lawton. The tribal jurisdictional area includes Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Jackson, Kiowa, Tillman, Greer and Harmon counties.
Moss presented the cybersecurity class idea to other Oklahoma tribes, but the Kiowas were the first to participate.
Leading the 16-week cybersecurity course is Teresa Rule, cofounder of RNT Cyber Academy, which is located in Norman and Anchorage, Alaska. The academy is certified by the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. Each tribal member participating in the cybersecurity class is guaranteed of a job starting at $85,000, Rule said.
This type of training will help tribes with their casino operations, museums and other business ventures, Moss said.
“The hope is those taking the class will stay close to home and with the tribe,” Moss said. “One class member already works with the tribe in IT, but doesn’t have all the (cybersecurity) certifications. The hope is that this (training) will help tribes with workforce and economic development.”
Moss stressed the importance of protecting databases for Oklahoma tribes once all of their records are digitized, which makes the cybersecurity course and students invaluable to the tribes’ long-term security.
Rule, who has been part of the cybersecurity sector since 2007, said the course is taught by cybersecurity practitioners.
“We take people who are proactive and teach them the skills they need to be successful,” she said. “We take students through five levels of certifications.
“We are excited to team with the Kiowas. The tribes need this (cybersecurity) for their workforce and their economic development. It allows them to increase their income. We’re teaching them how you protect and how you manage the business.”
As part of the employment plan for each student, Rule said her company hosts virtual job fairs and invites chief information officers from various companies to have lunch with the students.
“Everybody needs cybersecurity,” she said. “There are a ton of cybersecurity certifications out there. We train people so they’ve got jobs once this is over.”
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center recorded 791,790 cybercrime-related incidents in 2022, resulting in losses that exceeded $4.1 billion.
No previous experience and no college degree is needed to obtain cybersecurity certifications, Rule said.
Graduates can expect to gain employment in a variety of industries as network technicians, security and cybersecurity analysts. Each student will have an employment coach to create a personal employment plan, assist with resume revisions, practice interviews, educate on employment issues and post-interview debriefings.
For more about the cybersecurity training, visit www.rntcyberacademy.com.