Business News
BOSSIER CITY, La.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct 11, 2023–CYBER.ORG – a workforce development organization funded through the Cybersecurity Education and Training Assistance Program (CETAP) grant from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) – today announced its partnership with the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation (NCSF) to further expand the NCSF’s gamified learning program, CyberStart America, through the CYBER.ORG Range, a no-cost, safe, virtual setting where students can practice cybersecurity skills.
CyberStart America is a free national program for high school students to explore their cybersecurity skills and access educational resources developed by cybersecurity professionals. To help eliminate the cybersecurity workforce gap in the U.S., CyberStart America is designed as a gateway into the cybersecurity industry. The platform offers real-world challenges for students to complete over the course of the school year and high achievers can qualify for professional training scholarships. Starting this school year, CyberStart America is now accessible through the CYBER.ORG Range, removing barriers that limited the ability for educators and students to run the program.
“This partnership illustrates why we are prioritizing collaborations with innovative organizations pioneering tools that lower access barriers to the industry,” said Laurie Salvail, executive director of CYBER.ORG. “By providing joint access to CyberStart America and the CYBER.ORG Range, we are eager to increase access to new, innovative resources among students, teachers and schools while closing the existing cyber talent gap.”
Currently active in 50 states, the CYBER.ORG Range uses a cloud-based environment capable of running virtual machines with access to the internet but closed off from any private networks. By launching the virtual machines provided by the Range in a web browser, students don’t need any additional hardware or software to practice cybersecurity concepts.
“Collaboration is instrumental to solving the cybersecurity skills shortage and we’re proud to partner with CYBER.ORG to be part of the solution,” said Jennifer Esposito, Head of Operations at the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation. “In 2022, we had over 40,000 students nationwide participate in CyberStart America. By offering the CYBER.ORG Range in conjunction with CyberStart, educators have more of the resources they need to ensure that all students – regardless of socioeconomic background or previous cybersecurity experience – can develop the skills and confidence to pursue cyber careers in greater numbers.”
To sign up or learn more about CyberStart America, visit www.cyberstartamerica.org. For more info on the CYBER.ORG Range and how to partner with CYBER.ORG to expand access to cybersecurity careers, visit www.cyber.org.