Building a Cybersecurity Pipeline: A Report on Alabama’s Blueprint for Success

Alabama’s cybersecurity job market is thriving, with more than 8,000 new openings in 2024 alone. This is part of a wider, national trend, as information security analyst positions are projected to grow by 33% by 2033. To meet this demand, many communities throughout the country are working to train young people for cybersecurity-related careers.

Digital Promise has released a new report, “From Rural Districts to Statewide Pathways: A Blueprint for Scaling Cybersecurity Workforce Development Through Regional Collaboration,” highlighting the success of Alabama’s Cybersecurity Pathways Initiative—a regional pathways program that can serve as a blueprint for other regions and industries. The report details the ways in which the program was conceptualized, developed, and scaled, highlighting the value of regional pathways programs for rural communities and the potential for scaling and replication across states and other workforces.

The report showcases a powerful collaboration between school districts and regional partners in the East Alabama Regional Cybersecurity Alliance (EARCA), and draws upon this successful initiative to create a blueprint for scaling and replication. By pooling resources and focusing on student-centered solutions, EARCA created a successful model for expanding opportunity and addressing local workforce needs. Local partners highlighted the importance of community-driven collaboration, stating, “A cross-sector collaboration is important to building insights because it basically gives us insight as to what we need to do for our students at the local level,” said Dr. Judetta Cowden, the CTE director for Anniston City Schools. Lisa Morales, the community and workforce liaison with Gadsden State Community College and long-time former director of East Alabama Works, added, “It’s a great way to bring public-private partnerships between our secondary, post secondary, and business and industry.”

The initiative began in Talladega County Schools and has since expanded through EARCA to include seven additional school districts, 33,000 students, and 20 higher education, industry, and community partners. This innovative approach has already yielded impressive results. More than 200 high school students in Talladega County Schools are earning industry credentials and pursuing cybersecurity careers after graduation. Darian Simmons, the career tech director at Talladega City Schools, also highlighted the importance of the initiative, saying, “With cybersecurity being a budding pathway, it’s great that I’m able to introduce that to our community and just show our students that there’s additional ways of finding employment and different pathways to be successful.”

The Alabama Cybersecurity Pathways Initiative is more than a regional success; it’s a blueprint for states and regions across the country to address national workforce shortages. The report provides a framework for building sustainable pathways and a roadmap for applying this approach to other high-demand fields. Ira Lacy, a network security engineer and owner of Cybridge, noted the impact on local talent, stating, “Now people know that Alabama is a nice place to live, industry is here, we’re providing opportunities for… the community to grow their skillsets early on… [and] that homegrown talent is right there.”