A collaborative cybersecurity analysis certification program

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's STEM Education program provides $157,731 to support the development of a collaborative cybersecurity analysis certification program across three West Virginia educational institutions. The Southern West Virginia Community & Technical College will lead efforts to create a two-semester, four-course Security Analysis Certificate program offered both virtually and in-person. This program aims to build a sustainable education and career pipeline for critically needed cyber specialists in West Virginia and nationally by targeting veterans, military-connected learners, and high school students in rural, economically depressed southern counties. Over the three-year period from September 2022 to August 2025, the project team will work to improve cybersecurity and information technology offerings and create a talent pipeline across state, regional and national sectors through coordinated recruiting and co-curricular activities between BridgeValley Community and Technical College, Southern West Virginia Community & Technical College, and the University of Charleston. Evaluation will assess the effectiveness of the certificate program and project outcomes.

Abstract

To meet workforce demands crucial to the nation?s security and sustained economic development, this project will develop an educational and career pipeline for the regional and national cybersecurity workforce. Three west virginia educational institutions: bridgevalley community and technical college, the southern west virginia community and technical college, and the university of charleston, will work together to develop and launch a four-course, two-semester security analysis (SA) certificate program. The program will be offered virtually and in-person and will target veterans, military-connected adult learners, and high school students from west virginia?s rural and economically depressed southern counties. The goals of the project include: (1) building a sustainable educational and career pipeline for critically needed cyber specialists, and (2) growing a capable and trained workforce of cyber specialists with security abilities and skills vital to national security within west virginia and across the country. The three institutions share relationships with regional hiring organizations and have been independently attentive to industry workforce needs. Combining efforts and streamlining recruiting and CO-curricular activities will improve each institution?s cybersecurity and information technology academic offerings, and will create a pipeline across state, regional, and national sectors. In addition to the ATE community, the project team will share best practices and outcomes across technical, industrial, and military networks. The project team will work with the state?s FIRST2 network, an NSF includes program focused on increasing stem academic offerings to first-generation students, and techconnect west virginia, a statewide organization promoting innovative research and workforce growth by partnering with businesses and regional stakeholders. Evaluation of the project consists of a constructive and collaborative adaptation of the ?input, outputs, and outcome? Model. The evaluation will provide an outside, independent perspective on the effectiveness of the project and SA certificate program. This project is funded by the advanced technological education program that 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.