Eighty-four percent of US IT Employers Consider Cybersecurity Certifications Aligned to Military Job Roles and Occupations as the “Gold Standard” When Hiring

University of Phoenix and EC-Council release a joint survey that highlights the cyber certifications employers seek in new candidates

PHOENIX, Feb. 21, 2020 —  A new survey from University of Phoenix and the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) found that 59 percent of surveyed companies with 100 or more employees plan to staff information security professionals in 2020. However, candidates in the job market may not have the skills employers are seeking. According to the survey, 67 percent of IT executives at companies with at least 100 employees or more require industry certifications as a basic requirement for hiring considerations.

The joint survey aimed to uncover IT employers’ perceptions during the hiring process.   The findings highlighted the importance of cybersecurity degree programs paired with stackable credentials aligned to military job roles and occupations. Of the 256 IT employers who were polled, 86 percent said that industry certifications aligned to cyber-affiliated U.S. military job roles and occupations play an important role when hiring candidates. In fact, almost half (48 percent) agreed they are either very important or absolutely essential and 84 percent consider them to be the “gold standard” when hiring.

“Cyber threats are growing exponentially, and IT employers must ensure that the candidates they are hiring possess the proper education and skills to take on these threats,” said Stephanie Benoit-Kurtz, lead cybersecurity faculty at the University’s Las Vegas Campus. “Organizations often don’t have the time or funding to invest in developing employees, and these industry certifications often provide the minimum standards to prepare professionals to combat today’s cyber threats.”

Highly regarded cybersecurity industry certifications with aligned job roles and outcomes may be easier to obtain than you think. The survey found that nearly all IT executives (91 percent) said that they would be likely to provide tuition assistance to an employee seeking to earn a degree that helps prepare for industry certification aligned to U.S. military job roles and occupations.

“We tend to look at the bigger picture of career opportunities as a nation, when we should be focusing on what skills and credentials employers value most when considering a candidate,” said Wesley Alvarez, director of academics, EC-Council. “As much as they love to hack, it is paramount that graduating students who achieved these challenging credentials understand how to harness their skills in a professional environment.”

To help prepare the workforce for today’s cybersecurity positions, University of Phoenix and EC-Council have worked together to provide students with opportunities that focus on degrees which help prepare students for industry certifications. The University offers an Associate in Cybersecurity and electives that are aligned to EC-Council certifications. In October, the University received the EC-Council Academia Circle of Excellence Award for its suite of EC-Council certifications. They include:

• End-user security aligned to the Certified Secure Computer User Certification (CSCU)
• Cybersecurity and network defense aligned to the Certified Network Defender Certification (CND)
• Ethical hacking aligned to the Certified Ethical Hacker Certification (CEH)

In addition to these offerings, University of Phoenix announced the launch of a certificate in cybersecurity policy and governance aligned to the Certified Chief Information Security Officer Certification (CCISO). The CCISO is an industry-leading certification that helps prepare professionals to succeed in the highest level of information security.

During the polling, IT employers were asked which industry certifications they believe employees should possess and 44 percent said the Certified Chief Information Security Officer certification. The Certified Network Defender received 38 percent and Certified Ethical Hacker received 23 percent.

“The College of Business and Information Technology is dedicated to providing working adult learners access to the education and skills that are in high demand in today’s industries. These certifications can help prepare professionals to stay one step ahead of cyberattackers,” said Kevin Wilhelmsen, dean of the College of Business and Information Technology. “The CCISO and other certification aligned programs are designed to help working adults balance work and life. Not only will they receive the technical foundation but be able to continue to work in their industry while pursuing their program.”

To learn more about the cybersecurity degrees and certificates offered at University of Phoenix, visit phoenix.edu/degrees/cybersecurity.

For more information on EC-Council offerings, visit www.eccouncil.org.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of University of Phoenix from October 10 – 21, 2019 among 256 U.S. adults aged 18 and older who are employed full-time at a company with 100 or more employees, work in IT, and have the job titles of CTO, CIO, Chief Security Officer, Chief Information Security Officer, Information Security Manager, Director of Information Security, or Cybersecurity Manager. Data were weighted where necessary by employee size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. For the purposes of this report, qualified respondents will be referred to as “IT executives.” For complete survey methodology, please contact cooper.nelson@phoenix.edu.

About University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix is innovating to help working adults move efficiently from education to careers in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant and engaging courses, and interactive learning can help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. University of Phoenix serves a diverse student population, offering associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs online and from select campuses and learning centers. For more information, visit phoenix.edu.

About EC-Council

International Council of E-Commerce Consultants, also known as EC-Council, is the world’s largest cyber security technical certification body. Operating in over 145 countries globally, EC-Council is the owner and developer of the world-famous Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator (C|HFI), Certified Security Analyst (ECSA), License Penetration Testing (Practical) programs, among many others. EC-Council is proud to have trained and certified over 200,000 information security professionals globally that have influenced the cyber security mindset of countless organizations worldwide. For more information, visit eccouncil.org.

# # #