3 States To Start K-12 Cybersecurity Programs
Future Cybersecurity Leader
With Cybersecurity jobs in demand and growing every year, it’s no surprise that K-12 institutes are starting to develop classes to create career-ready graduates.
The Problem and The Need
There are approximately 314,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the United States. However, there aren’t enough professionals to fill the jobs. Consequently, many companies are left without the experts they need to protect their business and data.
Approximately 4.6 million students will graduate from four-year colleges. Currently, about 65,000 of those students will have a computer science degree and a small number will graduate with cybersecurity credentials.
See the problem? Not enough of our students are prepared for critical cybersecurity jobs that keep our communities safe.
And, as more and more companies implement permanent work-from-home policies, the need for proper security controls will continue to grow.
Rural K-12 School Takes Action
A rural school district in Virginia with less than 5,000 students got creative and applied for a U.S. Department of Education technology grant for a Cybersecurity Academy.
Recognizing the demand for cybersecurity jobs, their aim was to prepare their students to be career-ready.
High-School Students Work on Repairing Computers
Credit: Louisa County Public Schools
With the support of their Superintendent and other district Stakeholders, Louisa County Public Schools applied for the federal grant. They were one of a handful of schools to be awarded $100,000. The other schools awarded were in Michigan, California and Texas.
At Louisa County High School, some students are already trained to work on laptops, tablets and to trouble-shoot software issues. Now, since staying home because of COVID restrictions, they support the Help Desk.
The district will start with 40 students in the cybersecurity program-offering a four or two-year program with an on-the-job internship.
The most successful grant recipients will win an additional $100,000 after their first year. - End
Source: https://www.wvtf.org/post/louisa-launch-cybersecurity-academy#stream/0
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