A Collaborative Cybersecurity Analysis Certification Program

To meet workforce demands crucial to the Nations 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 Virginias 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 institutions 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 states 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.