The number of computer and information technology jobs on the market is growing rapidly, and some local students will soon be getting a leg up in the job search.
Goldbelt Heritage and Peregrine Technical Solutions are hosting a weeklong Cyber Camp that will not only teach students about information security, but also offers to pay them $10 per hour. The camp is open to students between the ages of 14 and 18, running from June 5-9 at Juneau-Douglas High School.
Applying for entry to the camp is free, and applications are due as soon as possible. The camp will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day next week, and lunch will be provided.
Ursula Jones, a cyber security specialist for Peregrine, lives in Juneau and wants to see more local high school students looking to get involved in information technology careers. There are numerous jobs becoming available in that field, Jones said, and there’s a growing demand for employees.
“We need folks who are interested in this,” Jones said.
The amount of people employed in computer and information technology jobs is expected to grow 12 percent between 2014 and 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which is much faster than average. The BLS attributes this to more everyday tasks now taking place on the internet and the rapid growth of cyber storage. The median wage for these jobs, according to BLS, is more than twice the median annual wage for all occupations.
There’s room for around 40 students to participate in next week’s camp, and those looking to register for the camp can do so via email, contacting Jones at ujones@gbpts.com, Tom Gamble at tommy.gamble@goldbelt.com, or Shane Brown at shane.brown@goldbelt.com. They can also pick up physical applications at 3200 Hospital Drive, Suite 203.
The camp is part of CyberPatriot, which is a national organization for cybersecurity education that the Air Force Association organized to encourage children to go into computer science fields. This camp, which is the first for Goldbelt Heritage, will focus on cyber ethics, virtual management, cyberbullying, learning about multiple operating systems, the equipment that makes up a computer and more.
Goldbelt Heritage seeks to advance the culture and language of Tlingit peoples, and is the nonprofit arm on Goldbelt, Incorportated, an urban Alaska Native corporation headquartered in Juneau. Goldbelt Heritage received a grant that allows for up to 50 hours of paid learning for students, said Gamble, who is the Youth Education Lead Teacher. He also said that some of the students will start the camp a day late due to late sign-ups.
Fortunately for those late arrivals, the most exciting part of the camp comes later in the week, Jones said. There will be computer competitions where the participants split into teams and try to complete a task faster than the other teams.
Though sign-ups have been slow initially, Jones and those at Goldbelt Heritage hope to build this program in future years.
“We’re hoping to make this a recurring camp each year,” Jones said, “telling more kids about what kind of cyber or IT careers they can pursue and getting more kids interested because there’s a huge demand for it.”
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at alex.mccarthy@juneauempire.com or 523-2271.
