Established in March, the Cyber and IT Pathways program is a collaborative effort between the education department and the Florida Center for Cybersecurity meant to expand access to cybersecurity and information technology education programs across public institutions.
“I set a goal to make Florida the best state in the nation for workforce education by 2030 — and we are doing that by making investments that expand opportunity and meet industry needs,” DeSantis said in a press release. “Currently there are over 91,000 manufacturing and aerospace technology-related jobs on the Space Coast and this $30 million investment will build more opportunities for Floridians.”
The recently announced funds will go toward developing and expanding cybersecurity programs at Eastern Florida State College (EFSC), Daytona State College (DSC) and Indian River State College (IRSC).
For EFSC, the money will fund upgrades and expansion of existing cybersecurity programs to include articulation agreements and industry training on the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification.
Meanwhile, DSC will use the funds to develop a state-of-the-art cybersecurity center at its Advanced Technology College campus to provide students with cyber- and IT-related training.
Lastly, IRSC would use a portion of the funding to support training through noncredit certifications to help meet the immediate needs of local employers.
