K-12 students and teachers: join us for a free webinar to learn more about cybersecurity awareness through a series of fun activities and games! One lucky student will walk away with an Amazon gift card just for attending!
Cyber Florida is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for our Spring 2022 CyberWorks program! CyberWorks builds on the success of our New Skills for a New Fight program, which was designed to help veterans, first-responders, and others transition into cybersecurity careers, by adding a Community Cohort that is tailored to meet the needs of historically underrepresented groups such as women, people of color, and people with disabilities.
CyberWorks is a 12-week, hybrid course delivered through pre-recorded seminars; hands-on exercises in a virtual lab; and live, instructor-led discussions. Participants enjoy ongoing support from a dedicated program advisor who helps learners stay on track and weekly opportunities to interact with industry professionals through guest speaker sessions. Included in the program are various career readiness experiences such as professional resume and interview guidance as well as a closing networking reception that connects participants to potential employers. Students who successfully complete the course will receive a voucher to take the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) exam at no cost.
A limited number of full-tuition grants are available to those who qualify (application required) thanks to generous funding by JPMorgan Chase & Co. and the National Security Agency. Priority consideration for the New Skills for a New Fight cohort will be given to applicants who are veterans, transitioning military, and first-responders. Priority consideration for the Community Cohort will be given to applicants who are members of historically underrepresented groups, such as women, people of color, and people with disabilities. Each cohort has approximately 20 seats available.
Visit the program page to learn more and apply.
Earlier this week, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of seven individuals to the Florida Cybersecurity Advisory Council, including Cyber Florida Executive Director Mike McConnell, VADM, USN, Ret., former director of US National Intelligence and the National Security Agency.
Created by recently passed House Bill 1297, the Florida Cybersecurity Advisory Council is tasked with helping state agencies protect their information technology resources from cyber threats and incidents by assisting the Department of Management Services in establishing and implementing cybersecurity best practices.
Other members of the Florida Cybersecurity Advisory Council include:
To learn more, visit https://www.flgov.com/
Cyber Florida and New America have launched CyberCitzenshipEducation.org, a free online portal that contains 100 resources for teaching K-12 students about misinformation, disinformation, social media platforms, and other related topics. The hub, which launched on August 16, offers lesson plans, games, instructional materials, and other resources to help not only K-12 teachers, but also librarians, instructional technologists, and others seeking instructional materials to help students develop resilience to misinformation and disinformation.
This new hub was created in part of the Cyber Citizenship Education Initiative, a partnership among Cyber Florida, the Florida Center for Instructional Technology, New America, and the National Association for Media Literacy Education to help educate and prepare future voters to be responsible, cyber-savvy citizens. Since its inception, the project has focused on supporting educators in PreK-12 schools to arm students with “cyber citizenship” skills, skills at the intersection of media literacy, civics and citizenship, and cybersecurity awareness. While the hub is currently hosted by OERCommons, a custom platform is under construction that will launch later this year.
Learn more about this initiative on our Cyber Citizenship Education page.
