CCI, CivilianCyber Partner for TEEM Program

The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) and partner CivilianCyber are seeking cybersecurity and cyber-adjacent college students to join the Technology Enabled Engagement with Mentoring (TEEM) program to mentor high school students interested in the field. 

The final session of TEEM kicks off soon. This 6-week program aims to provide high school students with the knowledge and skills to thrive in college-level technology programs. Each week, they’ll complete a learning module in a cybersecurity training course. 

College mentors will then meet with their students for an hour once a week to discuss what they learned. Mentors can share feedback, opinions, and offer advice based on their own experiences in college-level cyber-related studies. No prep work is required. 

The mentor program is open to 15 students who are in their junior or senior year at an accredited Virginia college or university and have a minimum GPA of 2.5. At the end of the program, the mentors will receive a digital certificate from CCI and CivilianCyber.

CivilianCyber’s TEEM page will walk you through the steps to apply.

• Deadline to apply is March 27.
• Program one begins April 1.

If you’re selected as a mentor, you’ll be provided with information on next steps.

If you have questions or need more information, contact program facilitator Zach Becka at zach@civiliancyber.com.

About the Program

TEEM, funded by CCI, provides students with high-quality training while honing their critical thinking and soft skills as they prepare to enter the workforce.

“We need to find ways to better prepare students and bridge the gap between academic knowledge and employers’ needs to hire well-prepared candidates,” said Bobby Keener, CEO of CivilianCyber.

“TEEM supports this goal through a self-guided course of study that is brought into real-world focus via routine, student-driven mentoring sessions with a cybersecurity professional.”

“CCI is proud to be funding this program as part of our workforce development mission to ensure that cyber and cyber-adjacent Virginia graduates are competitive in the hiring marketplace,” said Sarah Hayes, CCI director of Innovation and Workforce Development. 

“CivilianCyber has a strong record of enabling partnerships with industry to create opportunities that will benefit both students and employers, and we are excited to support this important work.”

About CivilianCyber

Based on the belief that people can deliver amazing results when given the right opportunity and support, CivilianCyber was founded to provide data-driven, human-centric services that meet employer-demand for qualified cybersecurity professionals.

Realizing this approach could address needs across industries, the organization has expanded into sectors to include health care, construction, and technology.

Our solutions been validated and endorsed by the U.S. Department of Labor, the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, Virginia’s Commonwealth Cyber Initiative, the U.S. Army, the Virginia Department of Veteran’s Service, as well as economic development authorities and colleges and universities across the country.

About the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative

Funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative is a highly connected network that brings together 41 Virginia institutions of higher education, industry, and government to focus on research, workforce development, and innovation at the intersection of security, autonomous systems, and intelligence. 

CCI’s objective is to make Virginia a globally recognized center of excellence in cybersecurity.