TAMPA, Fla. — Cybersecurity and AI are rapidly growing industries, but there aren’t enough qualified people to fill the positions.
The University of South Florida wants to grow its workforce and make Tampa Bay a technology and defense hub with a newly established college.
“I think everyone knows that there is a huge demand right now for anything related to AI,” said Dr. Yael Bensoussan. “Researchers need AI experts. Industry needs AI experts. There is a huge need everywhere right now.”
Dr. Bensoussan is director of the USF Health Voice Center, an academic center that treats people with voice, airway and swallowing disorders. They use AI technology to analyze voices to diagnose diseases.
“In medicine, you can’t just be a doctor anymore. You have to be able to embrace technology and understand how it’s going to help you in your daily life,” she said.
According to ISC2 non-profit, which focuses on training and certifying people in cybersecurity, about 44% of organizations reported not finding people with the skills needed to do the job.
ISC2 estimated the size of the global security workforce in 2023 to be around 5.5 million, but said the sector needs to almost double its number of skilled workers to be at full capacity and meet Requirement. Last year, around four million cybersecurity professionals were needed worldwide.
That’s why USF decided to launch a new college aimed at filling this gap. Additionally, the university already has more than 200 professors working in these fields.
“We recognize that there is sufficient intellectual capital and expertise on our campuses in these areas, and this will create a framework to bring them all together to work toward the common goal of meeting these needs,” said the Dean Prasant Mohapatra, USF executive vice president for academic studies. Business.
Provost Mohapatra said the feedback on the new college has been exceptional. The university’s goal is to accommodate around 5,000 students, but Mohapatra expects that number to increase significantly.
“I think students have been asking for this for a very long time,” Dr. Bensoussan said. “In the last couple of years, I think we see a lot of students applying whenever there is a certificate or program in AI.”
“This new college will be the first of its kind in the state of Florida. One of very few that are being proposed and developed throughout the country,” Mohapatra said. “The University of South Florida will be one of the leading hubs for AI and cybersecurity in the future.”
The college will open its doors in fall 2025.
For more information about the college, Click here.
