The Office of the National Cyber Director recently released a report stating that “…cyber training and education [should be] more broadly available so that even those persons currently underrepresented in the cyber workforce are qualified to pursue well-paying, fulfilling cyber jobs.” With support from IBM, the Center for Inclusive Innovation (CII), in partnership with Paradigm Cyber Ventures (PCV), has leveraged the equity-centered focus of the Inclusive Innovation model within the implementation of a comprehensive, high-quality cybersecurity program to expand workforce opportunities for historically and systematically excluded youth. Our experience with centering student voice and co-designing inclusive research and development (R&D) with communities, combined with the proven track record of success with PCV, is supporting districts in providing opportunity and access to their students. As one district leader said:
“The Inclusive Innovation process really enhanced the way we are building this program, and helped me think intentionally about how to create an equitable and inclusive pathway for students.” -Patricia Balbuena, Director of ENL & Equity, Suffern School District
Eleven school districts were selected to participate in the inaugural Inclusive Cybersecurity Pathways program initiative, representing a broad geographic range to include: Alabama, California , Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, South Carolina, South Dakota, New York, and New Jersey. These districts support students in different types of communities and contexts including rural, urban and suburban, and together serve over 100,000 students, with 50 percent of their students identifying as students of color and approximately 40 percent of students with low income backgrounds. This initiative is designed to ensure students furthest from STEM opportunities—students experiencing poverty or learning differences, students of color, multilingual learners, and female students—will benefit from the three-year credentialed program and secure gainful employment and/or enroll into a postsecondary pathway. The initial enrollment numbers for the Cybersecurity One course show over half the students enrolled identify as students of color and over a quarter of the students enrolled identify as female. Over 43 percent of the students enrolled in the first year of the cohort are students receiving free and reduced lunch. The Inclusive Innovation approach has proven successful, with the enrollment numbers, to-date, being more diverse than the cybersecurity workforce.
Laying the Foundation for Building an Inclusive Cybersecurity Workforce Pathway
The diversity of the cohort is a testament to the value of the Inclusive Innovation model in developing the mindsets and practices that support district teams in engaging and recruiting youth who do not typically see themselves in a STEM career pathway. In the first year, district leaders completed a listening tour, built a community-student team, and created equity outcomes to ensure their work aligned to the overarching goals of the initiative. Through the partnership with IBM, each district has access to the SkillsBuild platform that has self-paced courses to offer additional credentials to students.The opportunity to provide students with access to the course, bundled with certifications that prepare students to enter a career upon graduation, opens doors for students to build a career in cybersecurity.
See how districts are implementing their unique Inclusive Cybersecurity Pathways program to meet the needs of their communities:
Richland School District Two – Columbia, South Carolina
Richland Two serves a population of 28,000 students. The Richland Two Cybersecurity program was designed based on the needs and aspirations of students in the district who identified desired pathways towards cybersecurity careers in the future. The team connected students with educators, industry professionals, and community experts to extend these opportunities. The program has been implemented in the district through a measured and intentional effort to select the site whose enrollment population is majority opportunity youth. As a campus, the Inclusive Cybersecurity Pathways program allows Richland Two to create pathways for underrepresented students to gain exposure to a rigorous and challenging course sequence.
“Cybersecurity and its launch means that we will continue to provide quality education, training, skills acquisition and certifications for students which prepares them to be globally competitive in their chosen pathways.” – Jenniferr Cain, Director of College and Career Initiatives, Richland School District Two
Talladega County Schools – Talladega, Alabama
Talladega County Schools serves around 7,000 students. The district is implementing the Cybersecurity program in five high schools in the region. To support their work, the team engaged several business and community partners to help support the cybersecurity efforts. The district is partnering with a local non-profit to establish paid opportunities for students to gain certification in the Cybersecurity field. Additionally, local businesses, such as First Bank of Alabama, are partnering with the district to provide work-based learning opportunities. These experiences will provide students with educational, real world learning opportunities in a work setting that cannot be obtained in a classroom. Talladega students will work with employers in other industries such as retail, education, banking, health, manufacturing, and tourism to see how cybersecurity services are needed in those areas.
“It is imperative that school districts educate students on the importance of cybersecurity and provide a pathway for students to learn critical skills and earn credentials to prepare them for employment and other post-secondary opportunities.” – Dr. Brooke Morgan, Coordinator of Innovative Learning, Talladega County Schools
Sioux Falls School District – Sioux Fall, South Dakota
The Sioux Falls School District (SFSD) serves a population of 24,868 students. The district has focused their implementation on building a pipeline for regional workforce needs. Collaborating with their local university and leader in the cybersecurity field, Dakota State University, SFSD has worked to create a unified board of business partners focused on meeting the region’s cybersecurity workforce needs. Through dual-credit opportunities and workforce development pathways, the cybersecurity program is meeting the SFSD College and Career Readiness priorities by ensuring historically and systematically excluded youth, specifically focused on first generation students, have access to postsecondary opportunities.
“There are no limits on how far we can go when we learn together. We strive to create the very best experience for every person in our district so we can become the best in the nation.” – Dr. Jane Stavem, Superintendent, Sioux Falls School District
Preparing for the Cybersecurity Launch
In the 2023-2024 school year, the Inclusive Cybersecurity Pathways program will launch at 11 school districts across the United States, impacting close to 1,000 students. This achievement represents amazing strides for the first year of the program toward the overarching goal of the initiative: to establish a three-year Cybersecurity Pathway that creates career opportunities for all students. The need for a diverse and prepared cybersecurity workforce is imperative now more than ever. Find out more about the Inclusive Cybersecurity Pathways program here, and for interest in future partnership opportunities, reach out to Kristian Lenderman at klenderman@digitalpromise.org.
To learn more, explore the resources below:
