OTC’s Cybersecurity A Force for Good

WRITTEN BY JENNY STARLING FOSS |

With new developments in criminal attempts to hijack government and private sector information and technology, the demand for highly trained Cybersecurity personnel has grown significantly.

Ogeechee Technical College is meeting the challenge by training students in a new program, Cybersecurity. Students enrolled in the Computer Information Systems Technology program can now become Cybersecurity specialists with advanced instruction.

“I have been working for three years on implementing the Cybersecurity Program,” said Terry Hand, lead cybersecurity instructor at Ogeechee Technical College for the past 20 years. “The demand for trained technicians is great from the business sector due to the constant threat of security breaches and ransomware. Now companies are starting their own cybersecurity divisions. OTC saw the need and implemented a Cybersecurity program to train professionals to meet the demand.”

OTC’s Cybersecurity Program started in 2019 with 24 students enrolled in the first cohort; 17 degrees and 7 diplomas. In six semesters the students were prepared for a career in helping to protect individuals and organizations from the damage that comes from breaches of internet security from hackers.

In fact, OTC’s candidate for the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership, (GOAL) was Cybersecurity Program student Justin Clenny, nominated by Hand. GOAL competition begins during the fall semester. Technical college instructors across Georgia identify their most promising students and nominate them for GOAL based on academic achievement and personal leadership. The first phase of GOAL takes place at the local technical college level. As nominees move through an interview process, the screening committee selects the top student to represent their college and community. After each college selects their college winner, competition among the students moves to the regional level. Clenny placed in regional finals held in April in Atlanta.

“The new Cybersecurity program offered here at OTC really piqued my interest,” said Clenny. He explained that instructor Terry Hand’s “passion” for what he teaches sold him on the program. “His love for teaching, his passion for cybersecurity, it was infectious. I looked forward to class every day, often showing up at least an hour early. He made learning fun and challenging.”

Clenny completed both the CIS and the Cybersecurity degrees.

“OTC prepared me for the interviews with companies, and I was immediately hired by The Sack Company,” said Clenny. “At my 90-day evaluation, I was given a promotion.”

Success like Clenny’s is a common theme among the graduates of the program. A program that has tripled enrollment from the initial class of 24 to 75 students enrolled for academic year 2023. With job growth in this „