Planning for Success: Cyber Pathways Across Maryland (CPAM) Career Readiness Expo at Montgomery College!
The Maryland Tech Council (MTC) Partners with Montgomery College and CPAM to bring together students from 14 of Maryland’s Community Colleges with Industry Leaders
On Tuesday, March 20th the Maryland Tech Council (MTC) and the Cyber Pathways Across Maryland (CPAM) Consortium collaborated to bring students from 14 community colleges across Maryland a half day conference at Montgomery College in Germantown. Not only did the conference draw local students but also representatives from the college and local businesses came out to support the effort to help students see and hear what industry leaders want in their new hires and interns. With 14 community college spread across the state it’s hard to reach everyone at one time. The Maryland Tech Council collaborated with Montgomery College (a CPAM consortium member) to bring this conference to all of the colleges virtually using zoom technology.
Branding yourself is critical in separating yourself from the pack to get noticed and get that perfect job, internship or project. Understanding the labor/job market and understanding the resources at your disposal are the next step in finding that dream job. Finally, students hearing from industry about how they hire, their company culture and other hot topics with a panel of CEO’s from Maryland companies created a content packed event that was all recorded for future use.
The event started with Steve Everitt, Cybersecurity Labor Market Information Specialist from the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR). Mr. Everitt’s presentation, “Cyber Security: Researching the Job Market, Developing Your Resume and Starting a Career” was packed full of amazing resources that the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation have for anyone looking to find a job in many sectors including cybersecurity.
The next speaker was Angelica Andon, Montgomery College’s Program Manager for Cyber Pathways Across Maryland (CPAM). Ms. Andon’s presentation, “Federal Hiring Process and Security Clearance Tips” was loaded with tips and information related to getting a clearance especially when working for the federal government.
Our final presenter was Kelly Leonard the CEO of Taylor-Leonard Corporation. Kelly Leonard’s presentation had a dual purpose. The first part of Ms. Leonard’s presentation was a demonstration of the Cybersecurity Talent Ecosystem, a platform created by United Solutions in collaboration with Montgomery College and CPAM, that brings together students and industry for talent acquisition and resume building through projects, challenges and internships. David Nguyen, CEO and founder of United Solutions, collaborated with Ms. Leonard during the demonstration. “Perfecting Your Digital Profile to Land a Dream Job” was the final part of the Ms. Leonard’s presentation. Not only did Ms. Leonard give tips and tricks to encourage students to brand themselves to be appealing to businesses, she also presented detailed approaches for using LinkedIn to its full potential.
A highlight of the CPAM Career Readiness Expo was the Industry Panel moderated by Jennifer Mish, VP of Partnerships and Entrepreneurship at the Maryland Tech Council. After each panelist presented a quick overview of their business, their role in their company and how they progressed to their position, students and attendees were able to ask questions directly to the panel. The panel included David T. Nguyen, Founder & CEO of United Solutions, LaToya C. Staten, Chief Strategy Officer of Connected2Tech LLC, Evan Dornbush, Co-Founder & CEO of Point3 and Ken Stalder, CEO of Sherpas Cyber Security Group.
During the event, all speakers and panelist joined students and attendees for a networking lunch. Overall the event was a great success and all partners look forward to more ways to bring students and industry together. Are you interested in finding out more information about this event? Do you want access to the presenter information? Contact Jennifer Mish, Jennifer@mdtechcouncil.com for more information.