A Collaborative Cybersecurity Analysis Certification Program

为了满足对国家安全和持续经济发展至关重要的劳动力需求，该项目将为地区和国家网络安全劳动力开发教育和职业管道。三所西弗吉尼亚州教育机构：布里奇瓦利社区和技术学院、南西弗吉尼亚州社区和技术学院以及查尔斯顿大学将共同开发并推出一个四门课程、两个学期的安全分析（SA）证书课程。该计划将以虚拟和面对面的方式提供，目标是退伍军人、与军方有联系的成人学习者以及来自西弗吉尼亚州农村和经济萧条的南部县的高中生。该项目的目标包括：(1)为急需的网络专家建立一个可持续的教育和职业管道，以及(2)在西弗吉尼亚州和全国范围内培养一支有能力和训练有素的网络专家队伍，他们具有对国家安全至关重要的安全能力和技能。这三家机构与区域招聘组织有共同的关系，并一直独立关注行业劳动力需求。联合努力，精简招聘和课外活动将改善每个机构的网络安全和信息技术学术产品，并将建立一个跨越州、地区和国家部门的渠道。除了ATE社区之外，项目团队还将在技术、工业和军事网络上分享最佳实践和成果。该项目团队将与该州的First2 Network（一个NSF INCLUDES项目，专注于为第一代学生增加STEM学术课程）和TechConnect West Virginia（一个通过与企业和地区利益相关者合作促进创新研究和劳动力增长的全州组织）合作。项目评估包括对“输入、输出和结果”模型进行建设性和协作性的调整。评估将为项目和SA证书课程的有效性提供一个外部的、独立的视角。该项目由先进技术教育计划资助，该计划侧重于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域培养技术人员。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.