Cybersecurity education provider Infosec Institute is offering scholarships to 15 individuals from underrepresented groups in the cybersecurity industry. 

The $225k in scholarship opportunities will be meted out to veterans, people who identify as BIPOC, students, women who are actively pursuing a career in cybersecurity and members of the LGBTQI+ communities.

Infosec said awarding the scholarships was to reduce the cyber skills and diversity gaps in the industry.

The latest opportunities are part of the institute’s Accelerate Scholarship Program , which has awarded over $500k to aspiring cybersecurity professionals since it was set up in 2018. 

Under the program, 15 scholarship recipients are selected each year to receive lifetime subscriptions to the virtual cybersecurity training resource Infosec Skills which includes access to more than 1400 practical courses, certification training and hundreds of virtual labs in the institute’s cloud-hosted cyber ranges. 

“The need for trained cyber professionals continues to grow, and so does our commitment to helping aspiring professionals advance their careers or get started in this industry,” said Jack Koziol, Infosec CEO and founder. 

“Cybersecurity education can be cost and time prohibitive. Our goal with these scholarships is to break down the barrier of entry, helping fill security roles with talent who bring new perspectives and experiences to our industry.”

Applicants must be at least 18 years old to apply and must be resident in the United States. The deadline to apply for the 2022 Infosec Accelerate Scholarship Program is July 31 2022. Successful applicants will be announced in the first week of September.

The Infosec Accelerate Undergraduate Scholarship is open to college students actively pursuing an associate or bachelor’s degree in a cybersecurity-related field. To apply, students must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. 

“Now in the fifth year of offering this program, we’re proud to support the growth of our scholarship winners,” said Koziol. 

“We’ve seen many successes with our previous recipients, the motivation and drive they have to learn is inspiring. We will continue to push for and provide opportunities for all types of people to excel in the cybersecurity industry.”