National CyberWatch Center
McDowell Technical Community College is excited to announce that it is now a member of the National CyberWatch Center, the largest network of Information Security educators and institutions of higher education in the world. The objectives of the academic institution membership is to:
- Support the national imperative for developing cybersecurity-educated professionals by providing educational, networking, and collaborative opportunities for faculty and their institutions.
- To foster evidenced-based practices among the membership by providing software platforms and data that support collaboration, and
- To assist in the collection of data that can be used by all member schools as they create their cybersecurity organizational strategic plans.
McDowell Technical Community College is proud to share its passion for advancing the cybersecurity workforce and filling the cyber skills gap. For additional information regarding the National CyberWatch Center, contact the college NCW administrator, Randy Hollifield, at rhollifield@go.mcdowelltech.edu or visit the National CyberWatch Center website via the following link: CyberWatch.


Open Office Hours
National CyberWatch Center
As we are getting ready to finish up the spring semester, we wanted to touch base with our student members! Join us on April 14 for Open Office Hours. We encourage you to bring any questions, comments, or concerns and we will be happy to help in any way possible! We will also be discussing COVID-19 Resources, Student IT Clubs, Cybersecurity Competitions, and Building your Brand & Marketing.
Hosts: Dr. Vitaly Ford & Gus Hinojosa Jr.
Date: April 14
Time: 7pm EST | 6pm CST | 5pm MST | 4pm PST
Register here: https://nationalcyberwatchcenter.wildapricot.org/event-4256989
This NSF-funded research project explored the viability of cybersecurity apprenticeships for federal agency pipeline support. During the 18-month effort – which ended in December 2020 – a Working Group of 15 federal, academic, and practitioner experts developed a strong dialog and presence in the apprenticeship space. Aided by close ties to the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Working Group on Apprenticeships, the project developed a deeper understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the apprenticeship model, and identified key ways to improve the adoption of apprenticeships.
Primary Audience: Federal Cybersecurity human resources and hiring managers.






Download the CSJ NICE Framework Special Issue: Investigating Framework Adoption, Adaptation, or Extension

Understanding of the cognitive processes relevant to cybersecurity roles could support strategies to develop the skills of defenders and increase workforce participation.