A cybersecurity preparation academy (c-prep) for buffalo students and teachers

Trocaire College was awarded a $336,458 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) to create a Cybersecurity Preparation Academy for Buffalo students and teachers. The Academy will design and implement dual enrollment cybersecurity courses in two partner high schools, leading to postsecondary certification or an associate's degree in cybersecurity. This will help address the acute workforce need for cybersecurity technicians in the Buffalo metropolitan area, where over 37,000 workers are employed in related IT fields. The goals of the project include launching the dual enrollment program, providing professional development for educators, enrolling students in industry certifications, and strengthening connections to employers through work-based learning. Evaluation will examine the program's effectiveness in accelerating students' entry into well-paying cybersecurity jobs, particularly for underrepresented groups.

Abstract

Companies in the buffalo metropolitan area employ more than 37,000 workers in the software, IT, cybersecurity, networking, and data analytics fields. These companies rely on cybersecurity technicians to protect computer systems and networks from theft and damage. There is an acute need in the region for cybersecurity technicians since supply has not kept pace with the rapidly growing demand. The goal of this project is to create an educational pathway, in a high-poverty region, to produce cybersecurity technicians who can help address this workforce need. This will be accomplished by designing and implementing dual enrollment courses in two partnering high schools that will lead to matriculation in a postsecondary cybersecurity program. Upon graduation students will have earned either a postsecondary certificate or an AAS degree in cybersecurity qualifying them for employment as technicians in the cybersecurity field. The goals of this project include (1) implementing dual enrollment courses with high school partners, (2) providing professional development for high school and college faculty to improve technician education, (3) marketing the program, (4) enrolling students in a pathway of stackable industry certifications, (5) fostering student success through individualized support and mentoring, and (6) strengthening student connections to the workforce through work-based learning opportunities. A qualitative study will examine student perceptions of the benefits of the dual enrollment program to accelerate entry into the workforce and the effectiveness of peer supports targeted to underrepresented groups. This project was developed in consultation with ncyte, an ATE center for cybersecurity, whose broad reach will be leveraged to disseminate project materials and findings. 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.