Tentacle and The Washington Center Advance Equity and Diversity in Cybersecurity Through Innovative Micro-Internship Program

Collaboration aims to provide underrepresented students with hands-on experience and bridge the cybersecurity skills gap

PLANO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tentacle, a platform that enables organizations to assess and enhance their information security posture, communicate with stakeholders, and manage third-party risks effectively, has partnered with The Washington Center in an innovative micro-internship program that focuses on advancing equity and diversity in cybersecurity. Together with other industry and academic partners, Tentacle and The Washington Center are committed to promoting inclusion and diversity in cybersecurity and empowering the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

The Washington Center’s mission is to create flexible, immersive pathways to enhance the pipeline of diverse talent and to build more equitable, inclusive workplaces and communities. To focus this mission on an industry with critical recruitment needs, yet historic underrepresentation in gender, race and academic diversity, the non-profit organization created the Cybersecurity Accelerator Program. This first-of-its kind program is focused on building career opportunities for historically marginalized learners, and supporting them with skills training, mentorship and networking in the cybersecurity sector. Collaboration with employers, including Tentacle, along with industry thought leaders and higher education has created a solution to help address equitable hiring challenges facing the industry.

“We are pleased Tentacle has partnered with us in this innovative approach to accelerate cybersecurity skills. There are serious risks if employers don’t break systemic recruitment practices and give opportunity to those who might not fit the traditional model. Not only will they miss out on great talent, such as first-generation college students, minorities, neurodivergent learners or those with caregiving responsibilities that limit access to traditional internships, they will also hinder innovation and the diverse approaches to problem solving cybersecurity requires,” says Kim Churches, President of The Washington Center.

The mission of The Washington Center aligns with Tentacle’s plan, which focuses on promoting equity and inclusion within hiring practices and workplace culture. The micro-internship program represents a key step in achieving these goals to create a more diverse and inclusive talent pipeline for the industry, and ultimately, building a stronger, more resilient cybersecurity workforce for the future.

“Although the mission of our product is to make available, to every organization, the tools for more modern and comprehensive information security, we are committed to making progress towards a larger mission as well. Our entire team strives to be stewards in promoting equality and equity in everything we do, whenever possible. When the opportunity to work with The Washington Center presented itself, it was a no-brainer for us. We see it as a responsibility of ours, as a business in the information security space, to help remove the barriers to an expanded and more diverse population of cybersecurity professionals,” says Matt Combs, CEO and Founder of Tentacle.

Tentacle hopes that its own actionable equality plan can serve as an example for other organizations exploring a similar path. To learn more about Tentacle’s equality plan, visit: https://tentacle.co/equality.

About Tentacle: Tentacle is a SaaS-based information security platform located in Plano, Texas. The company offers a configurable data management tool that helps organizations improve their information security programs and overall security posture. With Tentacle, enterprises of all sizes can manage all details related to their internal security posture, track and monitor similar information for their partners and vendors, centralize the storage and management of program-related documentation, increase connectivity with key partners, establish multiple internal projects for tracking independent security requirements, and continually benchmark their activities against leading industry frameworks in the information security space. For more information, visit www.Tentacle.co.

About The Washington Center: The Washington Center is the largest and most established student internship program in Washington, D.C. Since our founding, we've helped more than 60,000 individuals from across the U.S. and around the globe expand their academic pursuits into rewarding jobs and careers. We use our scale and expertise to deliver solutions that open career pathways for learners, solve recruitment challenges for employers, while helping create greater access, equity, advancement and representation. For more information, visit www.twc.edu/about.