Cybersecurity career awareness and exploration initiative

Federal Grant Award Summary

Moraine Valley Community College received a $881,503 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Undergraduate Education under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076), effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028. This Cybersecurity Career Awareness and Exploration Initiative develops comprehensive career guidance materials and training resources designed to equip high school and community college counselors, academic advisers, and educators with the knowledge needed to guide students into cybersecurity careers. The project addresses the critical national shortage of qualified cybersecurity professionals by creating industry-aligned materials that present cybersecurity as a multidisciplinary field encompassing diverse work roles ranging from technical positions such as penetration testing to policy and governance functions.

The initiative extends beyond formal advisers to reach informal influencers including teachers, parents, and community organizations that shape students' career decisions. By distributing resources to these key stakeholders, the project expands awareness and accessibility of cybersecurity career opportunities aligned with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Workforce Framework. The effort is designed to serve as a model for advancing career guidance strategies in other high-demand technical fields and to advance understanding of effective approaches to workforce development in emerging technology sectors.

Abstract

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. In this project, the investigators aim to address the shortage of cybersecurity professionals by equipping high school and community college career counselors, academic advisers, and educators with the knowledge and resources needed to confidently guide students into cybersecurity careers. The investigators will develop materials and associated training that will reflect industry needs and present cybersecurity as a multidisciplinary field. While designed for formal advisers and counselors, the resources will also be distributed to informal advisers such as teachers, parents, and organizations that play a vital role in influencing students' career decisions. By providing those key influencers with relevant information, the project will expand awareness of cybersecurity career opportunities, making them more accessible to students. Looking beyond cybersecurity, this effort should serve as a model for expanding awareness and access to other high-demand technical fields and should advance the understanding of effective career guidance strategies. Cybersecurity encompasses dozens of distinct work roles (as defined in the nice workforce framework for cybersecurity, https://WWW.NIST.GOV/nice/framework), ranging from technical roles such as penetration testing to multidisciplinary roles such as policy analysis and governance, risk, and compliance. A major barrier in addressing the cybersecurity workforce GAP is a lack of understanding of the wide range of work roles that the field offers and the skills that the various jobs entail. While many colleges and universities have developed robust cybersecurity curricula, there are limited resources and training available for career counselors, academic advisers, and educators to help them confidently guide students into cybersecurity career pathways. In this project, the investigators will pursue four objectives: (1) develop a cybersecurity career awareness toolkit for counselors, advisers, and educators; a workbook for students; and informational materials for parents and organizations. (2) design and deliver professional development workshops to inform high school and community college counselors, advisers, and educators about cybersecurity career pathways, academic programs of study, and use of the toolkit. (3) establish a community of practice among participants to facilitate ongoing collaboration, knowledge sharing, and support in guiding students through cybersecurity career pathways and academic programs. (4) enhance cybersecurity career awareness among students through comprehensive outreach, resources, and partnerships with a variety of institutions. 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.- subawards are not planned for this award.