Project-Based Learning Program
You bring a cybersecurity project and a mentor. CCI recruits, screens, and pays the students.
Partner with CCI to Build Virginia’s Cyber Workforce
As part of our mission to strengthen Virginia’s digital workforce, the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) is seeking industry, government, and nonprofit partners for the CCI Project-Based Learning program.
The program provides experiential learning opportunities for cyber and cyber-adjacent students at colleges and universities across the CCI network. Partners sponsor real projects and mentor the students who work on them, and in return get early access to a statewide talent pool of future employees. No funding is required from partners.
What Partners Do
- Propose a project or use case drawn from real operational needs
- Provide a mentor to guide students through the project
- Choose a timeline that fits your team: a semester, a summer, or a summer through the semester have all worked well
What CCI Does
- Advertises the opportunity and recruits applicants from across Virginia
- Pre-screens candidates and presents sponsors with a competitive pool
- Provides stipends to students
- Handles recruitment and coordination so partners can focus on the project itself
Interested in sponsoring a project?
Contact Eta Nahapetian at etanahapetian@vt.edu to get started.
Recent Projects (2026)
Students
Students at CCI network colleges and universities can get paid to work on real-world cybersecurity projects guided by industry mentors.