Around the country, standalone Career and Technical Education (CTE) schools are emerging as innovative learning centers that prepare high-school students for in-demand careers upon graduation. One such school, the Cherry Creek Innovation Campus (CCIC) located in Centennial, Colorado, has proven to be an outstanding model of how CTE schools can help fill critical gaps in the national security workforce – specifically, in cybersecurity.

The school was created to address what Colorado calls its “pipeline paradox.” The state has low unemployment and many available jobs, but its in-state workforce is largely not qualified to fill them. At the same time, a large percentage of its highest achieving students move away after graduation, meaning the state invested in their education only to see them leave.

Schools like the CCIC are helping to fill this gap by training students for the most in-demand positions in the state, offering them the opportunity to be immediately employable after high school while remaining in Colorado and avoiding college debt. It offers students the ability to gain real-world, work-based training in one of seven career pathways, including Auto Mechanics, Construction, Aerospace Manufacturing, Hospitality and Tourism, Healthcare, Cybersecurity/Information Technology and more. Because of this approach, the CCIC was recently named one of the 100 most innovative schools in the world, and one of the top 10 most innovative schools in the United States.

Challenge: A Growing Cyber Talent Gap

In Colorado as in the rest of the country, there is a massive demand for cybersecurity professionals. In fact, it’s estimated that nearly 30% of all cyber jobs are vacant and employers struggle to fill them, even at the entry level. As cyber-attacks grow in number and complexity, the need to fill these jobs – and quickly – will only continue to grow. A next generation cyber workforce is going to demand more people, with more skills and more diverse perspectives.

Aptly, the CCIC offers students multiple cybersecurity classes as part of its Information Technology pathway. Students learn about computer systems, networking and security, artificial intelligence and the cloud as they work towards earning their Comp TIA Network+ and their Comp TIA Security + certifications, which are helping these students break into entry-level jobs immediately after high school.

Approach: Partner to Access Ready-to-Work Talent

GDIT was connected with the CCIC two years ago as a potential industry partner who could help inform the school’s cyber curriculum, offer guest speaker opportunities, and help connect the school’s Cybersecurity Career Pathway and its students with the broader cyber community in the form of events and employment opportunities. Since then, that partnership has developed and grown into all of that and more.

“GDIT is the single most consistent partner we've had in cyber,” said Ryan Seely, Partner of Industry for the Cherry Creek Innovation Campus, and the Cherry Creek School District. “GDIT and our partnership is like an ace up our sleeve. One of the CCIC core beliefs is collaboration with business partners in an effort to provide industry-validated learning experiences, and this is where GDIT has been amazing.”

Impact: Growing the Next Generation of Cyber Professionals

Through this partnership, GDIT has been able to offer guest speakers who join CCIC Cybersecurity classes and hold Q&A sessions with students, offering them the chance to interact with cyber professionals working in their chosen field. We’ve been able to raise the visibility to the CCIC and their CTE model and demonstrate the impact that CCIC is having on students by connecting them to industry and government agencies. In fact, GDIT was pivotal in helping connect the CCIC to representatives from the White House and their Cybersecurity initiatives on job-creation.

GDIT has also been able to help CCIC graduates secure internships and even full-time jobs with national security agencies. It’s a win-win for the students, the school and the agency – the student gains an invaluable opportunity to connect with real cybersecurity experts, the school has an incredible placement as a testament to its model, and the agency fills an open position with a cleared cyber professional who has had hands-on experience as a part of their high school education.

Going forward, we are looking at how to expand the partnership with CCIC and with other CTE schools, recognizing the power and potential of this model to fill a cyber skills gap while offering meaningful, immediate employment to committed and dedicated students.