Floridians soon will have many more opportunities to venture down the cybersecurity career path.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday the state has awarded $20 million to create new opportunities in the field of cybersecurity.
The funding will be coordinated through the Florida Center for Cybersecurity at the University of South Florida. They will then work with regional partners to expand programs that help middle school, high school and college students obtain credentials in cybersecurity, DeSantis said during the news conference.
“We can start preparing people with skills prior to being in college, so we’ve worked really hard on the K-12 system to get more cyber/IT computer science in the classroom,” said the governor, adding that Florida has been able to get funding from the legislature to make this happen.
The funding will be used for training new teachers and purchasing training equipment for students.
Florida Department of Education Senior Chancellor Henry Mack says the $20 million will help accelerate career and technical education by “going right into the hands of teachers, school districts and state colleges to help expand pathways for students to train in these critical areas.”
DeSantis explains how this program is the first of its kind.
“There’s no other state that’s using a regional model that will allow students as early as middle school to start earning credentials in IT and cybersecurity,” he says.
So what does this mean for the Tampa Bay area? Surrounding Tampa Bay counties will be able to work with USF to expand opportunities at both a middle and high school level and then into college.
“Yes, it typically requires a four-year degree, but there’s no reason why students in middle school and high school can’t start obtaining these skills,” DeSantis said. “You’re finding a lot of demand for them, so we want to start as early as possible.”
The regional model reportedly has two set spots — one at USF and another one at Florida International University down in Miami.
There is also a third region up for grabs, with DeSantis saying he’s looking to see who is willing to be a part of the program.
