Missouri youth earn physical security certificates through MOSOC program…

The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD) celebrated the graduation of 21 students from the Missouri Security Operations Center (MOSOC) Training Program during three ceremonies held in Columbia, Lee's Summit, and South St. Louis on Friday. The students completed the eight-week MOSOC Training Program as part of the Career Opportunity Training for Youth (COTY) program, which provides high school seniors and young adults up to age 24 with the opportunity to earn a professional certificate and gain valuable, work-ready skills and workplace experience.

"We are proud to recognize these students and celebrate their monumental achievement," said Dr. Bennett Boggs, Commissioner of the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. "The unique hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology provided through the MOSOC Training Program has undoubtedly helped today's graduates build the skills and confidence needed for success, and we are excited to see what the future holds for them."

The program provided students hands-on training on modern technological tools, including robotics, drones, license plate recognition, video surveillance, gunshot detection, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students also completed 24 hours of training focused on essential power skills and workforce preparation, as well as additional instruction about how to perform risk assessments and develop standard operating procedures for high-risk and dangerous situations. Graduates will now complete a paid work experience with a partnering employer, with the goal of obtaining gainful, full-time employment upon completion.

"This initiative breaks down employment barriers and provides a direct career path within the dynamic high-tech security industry," said Julie Carter, Director of the Office of Workforce Development. "We thank our partners at the University of Central Missouri and Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis for helping us grow this program, and we are hopeful it will continue to expand to other portions of Missouri."

Today's graduation ceremonies were hosted at the Columbia Job Center, the Missouri Innovation Campus in Lee's Summit, and Urban League - South St. Louis. This was the third cohort of students for the MOSOC program, with 10 students graduating from each of the first two at the Columbia Job Center.

The COTY program is federally funded by MDHEWD to provide high school students in Mid-Missouri an opportunity to gain the skills and training they need to prepare for their future careers. For more information, visit cwdregion.com/coty/.

Students and employers interested in the program can contact David "DJ" Johnson, Youth Career Coach, by email at [email protected].

Photos are available on the MDHEWD Flickr page.