Ida Byrd-Hill recently woke up feeling pretty good about her Detroit automation school that specializes in training women and minorities that will lead them to higher incomes. Byrd-Hill just learned she was ranked by Career Karma on its top list of cybersecurity boot camps. She was absolutely tickled that her boot camp ranked right next to Udacity that had $100 million in revenue in 2019.
“We are excited to be ranked by Career Karma as a top cybersecurity boot camp in the U.S.,” said Byrd-Hill, Automation Workz’s CEO and the author of Invisible Talent Market. “We are even more excited that we ranked next to Udacity, which had $100 million in revenue in 2019. This ranking proves that as a scrappy startup, our formula is working.”
Automation Workz’ programs bring in individuals who have between two to seven years of experience in customer service, tech logistics and end-user support. After they leave as trained network engineers and cybersecurity specialists, they are empowered to find tech jobs that pay much more.
Byrd-Hill has a very simple philosophy about tech training that has worked well for her company. “I believe if a person has used video games, they can be trained for a cybersecurity career to feel the same amount of enjoyment”.
There are a few things working for Automation Workz that is helping individuals change their career path in a very meaningful way. They encourage adults who are hands-on learners to attend their boot camps—often a local Workforce Development department or corporate tuition plan will pay a student’s tuition. The company also has valuable relationships with employer partners who seek to hire diverse, motivated talent.
“Our goal is to double each students’ salary. One recent student was placed into a network security auditor position earning $105,000. She received a $55,000 pay increase from her prior job,” said Byrd-Hill.
What has made Byrd-Hill’s programs so successful? She combined Cisco Systems digital certification curriculum with games, case studies and puzzles that students engage in readily that leads them into the cybersecurity industry.
“When students complete our program, they will have completed over 200 digital simulations and games, equal to two years of work experience. Our students are well-qualified candidates to help reduce the 3.5 million person cybersecurity talent shortage,” she said, noting CyberSecurity Ventures’ job prediction.
Though based in Detroit, Automation Workz draws in Black women from Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Jacksonville and Memphis. Black women comprise 75% of the Automation Workz’ student body. This aligns with The National Center for Educational Statistics’ records that show black women make up the largest percentage of students enrolling in post-secondary training. Byrd-Hill sees this as a “work around” that black women now can take when they see few opportunities for them in corporate America.
Byrd-Hill puts a period at the end of her sentence about Black women needing more opportunities, noting the statistic that Black women make up the largest percentage of the 5.5 million women who have lost their jobs during this ‘she-cession’.
“We are excited to assist them in securing their cybersecurity certifications and upgrading their income. Women have the ability to power unprecedented economic growth for the cities in which they live,” says Byrd-Hill.
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