CUMBERLAND — Allegany College of Maryland, Garrett College and Hagerstown Community College have received a $617,400 grant from the Senator George C. Edwards Fund toward a $686,000 project to implement two cyber ranges through the Cyber Workforce Accelerator program to assist cybersecurity students to prepare for careers, using real world, cutting-edge simulation.
Created by the Maryland Association of Community Colleges and BCR Cyber, the Cyber Workforce Accelerator program is designed to dramatically expand Maryland workforce development efforts and provide the state’s community colleges with BCR Cyber Series 3000 Cyber Ranges, offering access to advanced experiential training and education technology to train and certify thousands of entry level IT and cyber practitioners.
The Senator George C. Edwards Fund grant facilitates the procurement, configuration and deployment of the cyber ranges, as well as required infrastructure upgrades, enhancements, and staff training. Delivery of the cyber ranges and training commencement is expected by April 1, 2025.
“This is going to be a game changer for our students,” said Hagerstown Community College president, Jim Klauber. “Our cybersecurity students will learn how to effectively identify and address cyber threats. Employers will be able to watch students as they work through the simulations, giving the students the opportunity to showcase their skills and employability.”
The Senator George C. Edwards Fund is a four-year, $50 million program aimed to spur economic growth in Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties.
“This cyber range project will help our competitiveness in Western Maryland and will yield return on investment in this fast-growing industry. It is a great partnership between our three community colleges,” said Jake Shade, executive director of the Senator Edwards Fund.
BCR Cyber created a public-private consortium of more than 35 cybersecurity companies and government agencies that will steer course content development and recruit entry-level employees trained at the community college cyber ranges.
Each school will have a center with five workstations in which the students will complete approximately 40 hours of training for their capstone work, followed by a live experience with up to 10 hours of testing in simulated cyber threats. BCR Cyber has trained thousands of people to work in the cybersecurity industry.
For more information about the program visit www.bcrcyber.com