iQ4 and EC-Council Partner to Revolutionize Cybersecurity Education and Job Placement in the U.S.

iQ4 today announced that EC-Council Academia, a division within EC-Council (International Council of E-Commerce Consultants), a global leader in cybersecurity certification, training, and education, has joined forces with iQ4 to introduce certifications into iQ4’s Cyber Wallet.

This partnership offers a transformative solution that integrates the Network Defense Essentials (NDE), Ethical Hacking Essentials (EHE), and Digital Forensics Essentials (DFE) certifications with the Cyber Wallet, empowering students to translate their certifications into skills-based micro-credentials, career pathways, and job opportunities.

EC-Council was formed in 2001 with the mission of ensuring information security professionals are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to protect organizations from cyber threats. The EC-Council Academia division is the education arm of EC-Council, providing support to academic institutions globally, with over 2,000 partners worldwide.

EC-Council launched three Essentials Series courses a few years ago, to make entry-level cybersecurity education widely available for the education and professional communities at large. NDE, EHE, and DFE certifications are now operational within the Cyber Wallet, so users who obtain these certification credentials can now upload them to validate a number of skills which are then translated to recommended career pathways.

The Cyber Wallet serves as a bridge between cybersecurity education and employment opportunities, providing EC-Council certified members with a practical tool to showcase their skills and connect with relevant job opportunities. EC-Council certifications are fully mapped to the NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework (NCWF) to align to common roles in today’s industry. This framework alignment is also represented within the Cyber Wallet.

The addition of EC-Council Essentials Series certifications provides additional benefits to existing and future EC-Council certified members who have obtained the NDE, EHE, or DFE credentials. EC-Council and iQ4 are also discussing additional certification alignment within the Cyber Wallet.

“This partnership signifies our commitment to advancing cybersecurity education beyond certifications,” said Frank Cicio, founder and CEO of iQ4. “It will empower students to visualize their acquired skills, discover relevant career pathways, and pursue jobs that match their expertise.”

The inclusion of EC-Council’s Essentials Series certifications into the Cyber Wallet supports students looking to translate their skills to careers.

According to key figures from the 2024 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, the active global cybersecurity workforce is 5.5 million, while the size of the workforce gap is 4.8 million. This leaves the total workforce needed to satisfy demand at 10.2 million. Employers are seeking innovative talent acquisition models to fill these gaps. The Cyber Wallet facilitates verification of skills, aligning optimal candidate-employer matching and productivity measurement.

“EC-Council’s academic division is partnering with iQ4 to support certified members in the America who need a tool like the Cyber Wallet that validates employable skills and recommends job opportunities available in today’s field. Students receiving these job recommendations based on their skills will have relevant applications at their fingertips to further explore,” said Wesley Alvarez, director of Academics, EC-Council.

For more information about the EC-Council and iQ4 partnership, please visit www.iq4.com or www.eccouncil.org/academia