Gov. Braun Celebrates Indiana’s First-in-the-Nation Cybersecurity Pathway

BLOOMFIELD, Ind. — Students at a rural Indiana high school are helping demonstrate how the state plans to build its cybersecurity workforce.

Gov. Mike Braun and Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner visited Bloomfield Middle and High School Monday, where students demonstrated cybersecurity skills they are learning through their classes.

The visit highlighted Indiana’s Cybersecurity Partnership, which launched in May. The program connects high schools with two- and four-year colleges, the Indiana National Guard and employers.

Students at Bloomfield demonstrated projects from their Project Lead the Way Cybersecurity and AP Cybersecurity classes. The courses can provide opportunities for college credit, industry credentials and work-based learning.

Indiana currently has about 20,000 open cybersecurity positions, according to state officials.

The state currently has cybersecurity programs at about 69 public high schools serving roughly 560 students. Indiana’s goal is to expand those programs to 200 high schools serving about 4,000 students over the next three years.

The pathway can be built through AP courses, Project Lead the Way courses, dual credit or a combination of programs, depending on each school’s staffing and schedule.

The Indiana National Guard also is part of the program, giving students a potential pathway into cybersecurity-related military service.

“Indiana has thousands of open cybersecurity roles, and each one is a career a Hoosier student can train for and fill right here at home,” Braun said.

The program is designed to connect students with cybersecurity degree programs, National Guard opportunities and jobs with Indiana employers.

Indiana officials say the goal is to build the state’s cybersecurity workforce while giving students career-connected training while they are still in high school.

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