Cyber Startups: CCI 2022 Scalable Pilot Programs for Experiential Learning
Principal Investigator:
Gisèle Stolz, director of entrepreneurship and innovation programs, Office of Innovation and Economic Development, George Mason University
Cyber Startups: CCI 2022 Scalable Pilot Programs for Experiential Learning
Experiential learning is vital to preparing students for the cybersecurity workforce.
- Employer-required technical and soft skills can be tough to acquire through traditional college programs and internships.
- Internship opportunities aren’t growing fast enough to support the increasing cybersecurity student population.
- Internships often require a security clearance, limiting the number and type of students who can apply.
Startups and small businesses also face challenges in recruiting talented students when competing with large corporations or government entities in the region.
Because startups and small businesses are a vital, dynamic, and growing part of the Virginia cybersecurity ecosystem, the proposed project has three objectives:
- Equip students in cybersecurity degree programs with relevant, hands-on experiential learning opportunities while providing them with training and guidance.
- Provide cybersecurity startups and subject matter experts with the talent they need to scale their businesses.
- Introduce students from diverse backgrounds to the world of tech entrepreneurship, inspiring them to consider launching their own startups.
This project will build on past CCI Experiential Learning Programs, seeking to:
- Scale its successful program and collaborate with two new partners: the University of Mary Washington and Northern Virginia Community College.
- Expand a new badging certification to include additional practical skill-building workshops.
- Reinforce its relationship with other public institutions in the Northern Virginia node.
This project, among nine experiential learning projects funded for fiscal year 2022-23, is a part of CCI's strategy to provide students with industry experience and enhance their skill sets to better prepare them to enter the cybersecurity workforce.