NICE Webinar: Preparing Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s Cyber Careers
This NIST NICE webinar focuses on a central cybersecurity workforce challenge: how to prepare students for real jobs, not just exams or theoretical coursework. Educators and workforce leaders will explore ways to introduce more realistic, hands-on learning into cybersecurity education so students develop capabilities that employers can actually use.
Speakers from Evolve Security Academy, Boston University, DC Public Schools and NIST will discuss realism-based training, the value of learning through controlled failure, and ways to integrate future-ready skills into existing curricula. The session also looks specifically at preparing K–12 students for emerging workforce needs involving cloud security and generative AI
Additional Details
What You'll Learn
Introduce realistic, work-based cybersecurity experiences into education and training. Help students develop job-ready skills rather than relying only on theoretical instruction. Use controlled challenges and failure as useful learning and workforce-development feedback. Better align cybersecurity curricula with employer expectations. Integrate future-ready cybersecurity skills into existing academic programs. Prepare students for emerging areas including cloud security and generative AI. Strengthen collaboration between educators, training providers and employers.
Why This Matters
Cybersecurity employers increasingly need people who can apply knowledge in realistic situations, yet many students enter the workforce without enough hands-on experience. The gap between education and actual workplace demands can slow hiring and make it harder for organizations to build capable cybersecurity teams. This webinar matters because it focuses on improving the pathway from education → practical experience → workforce readiness, particularly as cloud computing and generative AI reshape the skills cybersecurity professionals need.
Action Level - LEARN
What You'll Leave With
A clearer understanding of what job-ready cybersecurity education looks like. Approaches for incorporating realistic workplace scenarios into instruction. Ideas for connecting classroom learning with employer expectations. Strategies for incorporating future-ready skills into existing curricula. Greater understanding of cloud-security and generative-AI workforce needs. Examples of how failure and realistic challenges can improve training. Access to NIST-listed cybersecurity workforce resources, including CyberSeek
Best For - Community Leaders, Systems Designers, Educators, Students, Journalists / Media, Businesses, Local Governments, NGOs / Civil Society, Technology Professionals
Systems It Connects To - Personal & Digital Democracy, ICT & Cybersecurity, Public & Planetary Health, Smarter Cities & Communities, Infrastructure
Languages - English
Recording / Replay Available? - Unknown