CANFIELD — Ohio residents will have the opportunity to attend a free online cybersecurity class through the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center.

With the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, the Ohio Department of Development provided an opportunity for MCCTC to submit an application for the Individual Microcredential Assistance Program (IMAP) in collaboration with Security and Web Infrastructure Institute (SWI). The IMAP was created to allow Ohioans to participate in a training program and receive a microcredential.

Thanks to the award of the IMAP grant, through MCCTC Adult Career Center, Ohio residents are able register for Cybersecurity Essentials, a free online microcredential course. Through self-guided learning, participants can complete a four-hour comprehensive introduction to cybersecurity, focusing on fundamental concepts, principles, and practices.

Those wishing to enroll are invited to register online at mahoningctc.com/adult located on the Programs page under Professional Development or call the Adult Career Center office for registration assistance at 330-729-4100. When developing or updating its program offerings, MCCTC relies on robust engagement with workforce stakeholders and comprehensive data analysis. Data sources include the Ohio Department of Higher Education, Education & Workforce, and Development, as well as the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, which publishes the Ohio Top Jobs List. Therefore, MCCTC’s IMAP application promotes a cybersecurity microcredential aligning with high-demand, well-paid I.T. roles and other sectors like business, manufacturing, and healthcare across the Youngstown-Warren MSA and Ohio.

Content of Cybersecurity Essentials includes the basic concepts and principles of cybersecurity and CAI (Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability) rating, identifying and analyzing various types of cyber threats and attacks, and implementing basic security measures to protect information systems, the basics of cryptography and how it is used to secure information, and the importance of cybersecurity governance.

The course also includes Cyber Threat Intelligence: Learn about main categories of Cyber Threat Intelligence, its cycle, and how to change the cybersecurity teams’ actions from reactive to proactive, understand the legal and ethical issues in cybersecurity, gain insight on how AI (Artificial Intelligence) poses threats and opportunities to the field of Cybersecurity, and develop and implement a cybersecurity policy for an organization.