CCI, CivilianCyber Partner for TEEM Program

In early 2024, the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) and partner CivilianCyber sought 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. 

This 6-week program provided high school students with the knowledge and skills to thrive in college-level technology programs. Each week, they completed a learning module in a cybersecurity training course. 

College mentors met with their students for an hour once a week to discuss what they learned. Mentors shared feedback, opinions, and offered advice based on their own experiences in college-level cyber-related studies. No prep work was required. 

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

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.