CFA's Collaboration with the AZ Cyber Initiative is Advancing Career Exploration and Equipping Students with In-Demand Skills
OPPORTUNITY Students need knowledge about high-demand, high-wage, and high-skill (H3) jobs to plan for successful futures. This happens through relevant, high-quality career exploration. Facilitating this requires collaboration across education and industry to provide new opportunities for students to gain professional skills and workplace knowledge while still in school, better guiding their long-term education and career choices.
STRATEGIC ACTION A key pillar of CFA’s Arizona Pathways to Prosperity initiative is equitable access to career exploration opportunities that prepare students for H3 careers. In addition to innovative work in bringing high-quality career exploration curricula to classrooms and households across the state, we create partnerships to enhance students' career exploration experiences.
CFA’s collaboration with the AZ Cyber Initiative is one example of how we bring career exploration to life for students alongside expert partners in the field. Together, we delivered cyber camps throughout Arizona each year for students in grades 7-12. Designed to identify and engage future cybersecurity leaders, the cyber camps provided hands-on learning experiences that equipped students with essential skills and knowledge aligned with educational pathways and industry needs.
CFA has learned that the most effective career exploration includes the following components:
- Hands-On Learning: Students engage in practical skill development and career exploration.
- Industry Insight: Leaders share their experiences in the field.
- Future Leaders: Participants build the relationships and knowledge necessary to become Arizona’s future cybersecurity professionals.
INSIGHTS The AZ Cyber Camps have offered hundreds of students each year the chance to gain real-world cybersecurity skills, bridging the gap between classroom education and relevant H3 career pathways. This collaboration is building a growing pipeline of future cybersecurity professionals and continuously optimizing pathways programs.
