Monroe Community College says there is a growing need for more people to become trained to work in government security and emergency management jobs.
MCC is enrolling students in a new associate degree program in homeland security starting this fall. The program is in response to the fact that the security field in general is growing.
"Not only just from the threat of terrorism, but also from the threat of crime,” said John Perrone, director of MCC’s Homeland Security Management Institute. “There is so much happening in the banking industry and with people losing money on the Internet. Frankly, the technology is moving faster than the security in many of these fields."
Perrone says a student who earns an associate degree in Homeland Security at MCC can either apply for an entry level job, or transfer to another school to pursue a bachelor's degree or a doctorate. MCC currently offers a certificate in homeland security - a one year program - for students who want to seek a job right away.
"We need young people that are interested in social media and the use of the Internet to get involved in this kind of thing," Perrone said. He says the federal government is looking for people with expertise in cyber security, computer forensics, finance and law.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of full time civilian and military Department of Homeland Security employees has increased by 31 percent in the past decade, and is expected to continue growing.
