Get Your Students Cyber WorkForce Ready
A complete pathway from discovery to launch, a win for students, educators and industry
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A Pathway Into Cybersecurity
This series has been built by cybersecurity professionals to replicate what they experience every day. The program includes working through high pressure scenarios, project-based learning outcomes, resume building, and networking guidance essential for any student to be deemed workforce-ready. Our nation has a cybersecurity problem—there aren’t enough skilled applicants needed to fill skills gaps. However, with limited resources and professional experience, educators alone can’t help prepare the next generation cybersecurity workforce. That’s why we’ve joined forces with professionals and educators to create pathways into cybersecurity.
Together, we can offer young people a pathway into the cybersecurity industry and help protect America’s digital infrastructure.
Past Partners on Work ED Cybersecurity Programs
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Ben’s mantra is "learn once, apply many times."
Ben Crenshaw is an InfoSec expert and CTE instructor for Canyons School District in Utah. In addition to teaching, he works at Oracle as a Senior Vulnerability Analyst, as a curriculum developer with cyber.org, and is Head of Cyber Education for Work ED. Ben holds over 20 industry certifications, including Cisco, CompTIA, and EC-Council certificates, and has a master's degree in cybersecurity and information assurance. Ben is also an active member of the Utah chapter of WiCys and CSTA and has led student and teacher PD workshops in cyber education.
His mission is to foster meaningful collaboration between cybersecurity educators and industry by promoting significant partnerships that inspire and empower students.
Pathway Overview
Virtual Kick off Student Orientation
Once this program has launched our team and professionals will have a virtual cybersecurity pathway kick off to get students excited about the journey ahead, explain how it works including orientation and answering questions they or their parents may have. This will also culminate in a fun and simple Capture The Flag Competition virtually in teams so students can get a sense of the team collaboration involved in Cybersecurity.
Cyber Teacher Training
- 200 Hours of on-demand Digital Curriculum complete with learner materials for educators
Cyber education is imperative in providing your students with secure and promising careers, reinforcing our nation's defense against its fastest growing threat; cyber attacks. Just in time, a tested and validated program to arm you with the training, curriculum and ongoing support to successfully implement and strengthen cyber education in your district.
Experience Features:
2 Day Professional Development Training Session with our Educator and Professional Community led by Ben Crenshaw
Annual Access to Range Force Cyber Range for One Instructor and up to 100 student annual licenses per teacher
Ongoing support and consultation for your teacher and team to build the curriculum into your pathway
Cybersecurity Discovery Externship
- 20 hours work-based learning
From the fundamentals to participating in real-world Cyber scenarios alongside professionals, students will be guided by local industry experts in a program packed with fun challenges that let students experience what it's like to work in this field.
Explore the different types of cyber threats alongside professionals who are tasked with preventing them
Build in-demand employability skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, confidence and collaboration
Build resume by earning digital badges, a certificate of completion, and recommendation letters
Cybersecurity Advanced Externship
- 20 hours work-based learning
Students will gain deep insight into what it's really like in industry as they are prepared for job interviews and the pressure faced at the beginning of a major cyber hack.
Work collaboratively with professionals and student teams on industry-led work-based simulations of real cyber threats
Learn the value of teamwork through role-based and time sensitive crisis scenarios which are the reality of life on a cyber team
Network with prominent Cybersecurity professionals who can mentor and recruit for internships, jobs, etc.
Cybersecurity Competition
- 4 hours work-based learning
This competition is a great opportunity for students to flex their cyber muscles based on everything they have learned throughout the series. The cyber world is always in competition between good and bad actors, so by having students compete we can leverage the stress and time-sensitive reality of Cybersecurity and give them a chance to respond without real-world consequences.
Experience features:
Developed scenarios that take a realistic look at constraints and anomalies such as little to no budget for repairs, principle of least privilege, website damage, etc.
Opportunities for participants and volunteers to increase their knowledge and understanding of cyber-physical threats such as those that take advantage of digital vulnerabilities to cause physical harm to an environment
A chance for students to get hands-on security experience working with servers, virtual machines, and physical devices such as phones and tablets
A focus on unique defense techniques and methods in protecting digital assets
Post Competition Industry Report for students to understand their strengths and weaknesses and for NYC companies to identify and recruit talent
Work ED is Ready to Partner With Your School
Offer a real cybersecurity experience
Built to be the work-based learning component for students to discover cybersecurity and build themselves in the field before beginning their careers. The program features both virtual and in-person components with Cybersecurity companies and professionals, designed to be the bridge between education and industry.
Conduct programs with ease
Each program comes pre-built and comes with a training plan and complementary student evaluation, built by industry professionals. We take care of all the staffing all you need to do is promote this to your Cyber teachers & class, and we can even help with that.
Current Cybersecurity
Pathway Problems
Students are missing out on cybersecurity, even though wages are high as companies are looking to fill skills gaps.
Most students don’t know what cybersecurity professionals do day-to-day or why they do it—despite the fact that cybersecurity experts are more in demand than ever before to protect national infrastructure from cyber attacks.
What if students could learn directly from cybersecurity experts, and work in groups to solve the kinds of problems professionals face on the job protecting their organization?
Solution: See Our Cybersecurity Discovery ExternshipCybersecurity is always evolving and has never been part of the curriculum, so teachers don’t have resources readily available to learn how to teach it.
Students are missing out because teachers aren’t equipped to help them understand the industry or how to become a cybersecurity professional.
What if teachers could gain the skills needed to help students explore cybersecurity as a career?
Solution: See Industry-Built Teacher Training ExternshipIndustry does not view so many young Cyber professionals as industry ready
They don't have the resume, experience, and confidence to get past the job interview and the 3-4 year entry level requirements to apply.
Solution: See Advanced Cybersecurity and Capture The Flag CompetitionCybersecurity is a national emergency. President Biden launched an Executive Order in 2021 for organizations to improve cybersecurity practices in the wake of an increased level of threat from bad actors.
But the US remains ill equipped to train a new generation of cybersecurity professionals needed to help fill the skills gaps in the industry. Only 50% of school districts have any form of cybersecurity programming on offer.
Solution: We provide a repeatable, scalable, and customizable cybersecurity framework that any school district could launch out of the box.
What Educators are saying about us:
"The team at Work ED provided an exemplary customized approach to our needs, exceeding our expectations on every level. Our students gained valuable industry experience and lifelong network connections, instilling a new level of confidence, self-awareness, and setting them on an upward trajectory for success! Thank you Work ED Team for your passion, conviction, and dedication in going the extra mile to truly make a difference!"
Donna Woods, Presidential Cyber Teacher of the Year Winner and Academic Pathway Lead - Moreno Valley School District
