A Pathway to Cybersecurity Careers in California

About This Grant

This project aims to serve the national interest by producing more qualified technicians to meet workforce demands in cybersecurity. Keeping computers and information systems secure is a critical need and a major challenge in business, industry, and government. The growth of cyber-threats has created a need for many more workers who have the knowledge and skills to protect both existing and emerging technologies. It is estimated that 36% of cybersecurity positions in California are currently unfilled. To address this workforce demand, the investigators aim to develop a cybersecurity curriculum and undertake activities to attract students into it. Components of the new "cybersecurity pathway" will include a credit-bearing certificate, an apprenticeship program, professional development for cybersecurity faculty, and use of a Business & Industry Leadership Team (BILT) to gain input from employers. The program will prepare students for recognized industry credentials and help them develop the skillset needed for high-paying jobs in the field. The Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) Cybersecurity Pathway aligns with a statewide initiative that seeks to train 50,000 entry-level cybersecurity professionals from 2020 to 2030. The curriculum will be developed by faculty in collaboration with the BILT, and it will be based on the Cybersecurity Model Curriculum for California Community Colleges, which was designed to align with the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (https://www.nist.gov/nice/framework). It is expected that LAVC will be the first community college in California to adopt the Cybersecurity Model Curriculum and its standards. The investigators intend to (1) develop a cybersecurity certificate called Cybersecurity and Network Support, which will prepare students to enter the workforce and allow them to earn college credit toward an Associate of Science (AS) degree; (2) provide faculty members with professional development focusing on the cybersecurity technologies and skills valued by regional employers; (3) create an apprenticeship program that provides students with structured on-the-job training coupled with classroom instruction; and (4) conduct recruitment activities to make high school and community college students aware of the LAVC Cybersecurity Pathway, cybersecurity careers, and the skills needed for them. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program, which focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.