Education  August 31, 2020

FRCC secures NSF grant for cybersecurity program

LONGMONT — The National Science Foundation recently awarded Front Range Community College and the St. Vrain Valley School District $494,175 to launch a Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program in cybersecurity.

The program, which is free, will allow students to earn an associate degree alongside their high school diploma, according to a joint FRCC and SVVSD news release. 

Cybersecurity is critical to almost every industry,” FRCC president Andy Dorsey said in a prepared statement. “That’s why jobs in this arena are plentiful in Colorado — and they pay well. When our P-TECH students complete the FRCC cybersecurity program, they’ll be highly qualified to get good jobs right out of high school.”

The Cybersecurity P-TECH program will be housed at Silver Creek High School, and student recruitment will begin this fall, the release said. The first-year cohort of 30 to 35 students will be enrolling in fall 2021; a second-year cohort of similar size will enroll the following fall, with future cohorts increasing to 50 to 60 students per cohort, the release said.

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