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Davenport University gets $4M grant to train students in cybersecurity

Posted at 7:22 PM, Sep 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-20 19:23:22-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. --  A $4 million grant for Davenport University will now give 28 students training in cyber security, free of charge.

For at least two years, students who receive the award will get free tuition, room and board and after they graduate they get a full-time job.

Davenport already has an established cyber defense program, and this grant will help bring even more talent in.

Nationally, the gap in talent and available jobs is enormous and with cyber attacks up 11% in the past year alone, the need for cyber defense is ever growing.

Which is why all 28 students will each be guaranteed a cyber security job somewhere in the government, once they complete the program.

"Technology shows no signs of slowing down, new cars, new cell phones every other day, new vulnerabilities, artificial intelligence and security plays a roll in all of that. As it gets more pervasive in every day life, both privacy and security are paramount issues that need to be addressed," Associate Dean of the College of Technology Brian Kowalczk, said.

The university says next year there will be 300,000 cyber security jobs open in the U.S. including more than 600 in West Michigan.

For more info on the scholarship, click here.