Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Jen Easterly, and members of the CYBER.ORG team pose on stage following a press conference announcing that the CYBER.ORG Range, a no-cost, safe, virtual environment for K-12 students to learn cybersecurity skills, will be expanded to students nationwide. (Photo: Business Wire)

November 07, 2022 04:40 PM Eastern Standard Time

BOSSIER CITY, La.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, CYBER.ORG – a workforce development organization funded by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Cybersecurity Education and Training Assistance Program (CETAP) grant and an initiative of the Cyber Innovation Center (CIC) – alongside Governor John Bel Edwards of Louisiana and Jen Easterly, Director of CISA, announced that the CYBER.ORG Range, a no-cost, safe, virtual environment for K-12 students to learn cybersecurity skills, will be expanded to students nationwide.

“By providing tools for educators and students, CYBER.ORG is helping pave the path to successful entry into high-paying careers in Louisiana’s growing cybersecurity industry.”

Initially funded by the state of Louisiana, the first-of-its-kind CYBER.ORG Range will be expanded by CISA through the CETAP grant to ensure that students in all 50 states have the skills and training needed to successfully enter the cybersecurity workforce.

The CYBER.ORG Range is accessible to all K-12 students but is primarily geared toward high school students interested in learning core cybersecurity concepts and curriculum.

With over 750,000 open cybersecurity positions and continued cyberattacks on both the public and private sectors, it is more critical than ever to expand access to cybersecurity education.

“The CYBER.ORG Range is designed to lower the existing barriers to entry into the cybersecurity field by helping ensure that all students are cyber literate and have core cybersecurity skills,” said Laurie Salvail, Director of CYBER.ORG. “Thanks to Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and Director Easterly’s leadership, students can now more easily build confidence in cybersecurity and feel prepared to enter careers in a high-demand field.”

Through the CYBER.ORG Range and CYBER.ORG’s other free resources, K-12 teachers are empowered to teach cybersecurity in the classroom. Educators can use the Range to help students practice deploying and discovering cyber-attacks in a safe and controlled, virtual environment. All labs in the CYBER.ORG Cybersecurity course can be completed on the CYBER.ORG Range.

“CYBER.ORG, through the CETAP grant provided by CISA, is doing critical work in Louisiana to advance the cybersecurity workforce,” said Governor of Louisiana John Bel Edwards. “By providing tools for educators and students, CYBER.ORG is helping pave the path to successful entry into high-paying careers in Louisiana’s growing cybersecurity industry.”

“To meet the cyber threats of the future, we need to start by preparing for them today. That’s why CISA is so thrilled to partner with CYBER.ORG, Governor Edwards and the State of Louisiana in opening the CYBER.ORG Range at the Cyber Innovation Center. Early cyber education is critical to our national security and tomorrow’s cybersecurity professionals are sitting in today’s classrooms. The CYBER.ORG Range will make hands-on cyber education accessible to students nationwide helping to build the foundation of our nation’s future cybersecurity,” said CISA Director Jen Easterly.

The labs in CYBER.ORG's Cybersecurity Course are designed to prepare students for the CompTIA Security+ Exam, which provides students with a springboard to intermediate-level cybersecurity jobs. Security+ incorporates best practices in hands-on troubleshooting and ensuring candidates have practical security problem-solving skills.

To learn more about the CYBER.ORG Range or sign up, visit: https://cyber.org/range.

About CYBER.ORG

CYBER.ORG, formerly the National Integrated Cyber Education Research Center (NICERC), is a cybersecurity workforce development organization that targets K-12 students with cyber career awareness, curricular resources, and teacher professional development. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) supports CYBER.ORG through a grant from CISA to develop and distribute cybersecurity education content to educators across the country at no cost. Currently, more than 27,000 teachers across all 50 states and three U.S. territories are enrolled in the CYBER.ORG content platform. For more information, please visit http://www.CYBER.ORG.

Contacts

RH Strategic for CYBER.ORG, cyber.org@rhstrategic.com