Published on: March 26, 2025 Updated 2 times since publishing
As the cybersecurity industry grapples with a rapidly evolving threat landscape and ongoing talent shortages, CyberUp is taking a bold and inclusive approach to workforce development. Now entering its 10th year, the nonprofit has become a national leader in cybersecurity apprenticeships and training programs that emphasize accessibility, practical skills, and real career outcomes. In this SafetyDetectives interview, Executive Director Tony Bryan discusses CyberUp’s evolution, the challenges facing aspiring professionals, and what it takes to build a resilient, future-ready cybersecurity workforce.
Can you introduce yourself and CyberUp, and share a little how it has evolved over the years?
My name is Tony Bryan. I’m the Executive Director of CyberUp. I just celebrated my ninth year with the organization in February, and we’ll be celebrating our 10th year as an organization in 2025.
Our mission is to elevate the cybersecurity workforce by igniting curiosity, developing talent, and transforming career pathways. We do that by recruiting, training, and placing high-potential individuals into paid apprenticeships. We also engage K–12 students early—teaching them how to be safe online, avoid cyberbullying, and introducing them to skill paths they can pursue starting in high school.
The idea for CyberUp started during the early surge of cybersecurity as a sector. It was inspired by similar initiatives in places like Florida and Massachusetts. A research study was funded to explore whether an organization like this was needed in St. Louis, to address workforce challenges and become a catalyst in the space. With support from partners like Scott Air Force Base, the St. Louis Regional Chamber of Commerce, local universities, and corporations, the idea became a reality.
Over the past two years, our workforce programs have evolved significantly. Our focus has tightened as we’ve listened to employer partners and better understood market needs. I believe we’ve become a leading organization for cybersecurity apprenticeship programs.
With a growing cybersecurity skills gap, how does CyberUp’s approach—particularly initiatives like LevelUp Training—help bridge this gap effectively?
I don’t think we have a skills gap in this country. I think we have an opportunity to create new models for how we recruit, train, and place people in skills-based roles—beyond traditional college pathways.
The gap isn’t about skills not existing; it’s about aligning the talent being developed with the jobs that are actually available. We’ve created countless degree programs, apprenticeship programs, and a ton of pay-to-play bootcamps. People are gaining skills—possibly more than ever in this field—but we’re lacking the job market on the other end.
There are over 540 cybersecurity apprenticeship programs in the U.S., which means a lot of people are gaining training. But those skills and training paths aren’t always translating into jobs. I don’t think we’ve done enough to show that cybersecurity can—and should—be an entry-level career path. If we build out the right systems, job roles, and functions, we can grow the workforce from the ground up.
Many organizations struggle to find skilled cybersecurity professionals. What are the biggest barriers preventing individuals from entering the field, and how does CyberUp address them?
The biggest challenge is expectation. Soft skills, for example, are tough to demonstrate—especially in cybersecurity. If I’m a coder, I can show off my GitHub. In cybersecurity, it’s harder. You might do capture-the-flag competitions or other events, but showcasing your skills can still be a challenge.
This presents an opportunity for employers to reevaluate job descriptions. They need to ask: do we really need all these requirements? Can this be an entry-level role? Defining clear career ladders makes it easier for hiring managers and talent teams to write better job descriptions—and make better hires.
For individuals, especially recent graduates, it’s not enough to just finish a degree and expect a job. With layoffs and a large pool of mid-level talent in the market, new grads are often competing against people with advanced degrees and certifications. That’s why they need to lean into internships, clubs, meetups, and building home labs—ways to go beyond the classroom and stand out.
Internships are critical, even though access can vary depending on background or school. It takes extra effort for some individuals to secure those opportunities.
Lastly, training providers—ourselves included—need to raise the bar. We’re being asked to check every box and produce perfect candidates, which is unrealistic. We have five generations in the workforce, each with different views on soft skills and workplace behavior. Creating one solution to fit everyone isn’t feasible, but we can increase rigor and expectations to help individuals succeed.
Cybersecurity offers life-changing career opportunities, with high salaries and strong job security. But people need that first role to start building their skills.
With cyber threats constantly evolving, how do you see the future of cybersecurity education and workforce development changing over the next decade?
It’s impossible to ignore the impact AI is going to have on the sector, even if we don’t yet fully understand how. A lot of cybersecurity work involves responding to alerts and monitoring systems—things that are stressful and can lead to burnout. The more we can use AI to analyze data, speed up decision-making, and reduce fatigue, the better for everyone.
I think we’ll see more labs in university settings, and more employer integration in education. Some progress has been made with agile instructors and industry collaboration, but we need to take it further. Education must become more digital and responsive to curriculum changes to keep pace with trends like AI and emerging technologies.
What’s next for CyberUp? Are there any upcoming programs, partnerships, or expansions that you’re particularly excited about?
First and foremost, we’re celebrating our 10-year anniversary. I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done and the impact we’ve had. Being seen as a leader in this space means a lot.
What keeps me up at night is job creation. We’ve built great skill paths, but we’re falling short in connecting those paths to actual jobs. I’m thinking about school districts, municipalities, water treatment plants, electric co-ops—critical infrastructure that holds important data. Many of these organizations lack the talent and roles needed to secure their systems.
We need to build mechanisms and funding to support workforce solutions for small to mid-size organizations in these sectors.
CyberUp will keep pushing forward—through partnerships with universities, community organizations, and industry groups in manufacturing, healthcare, and other at-risk sectors. Our goal is to advocate for and create the jobs needed to protect these systems and provide meaningful career paths for people entering the cybersecurity field.