Western Maryland community colleges receive Edwards Fund Grant for cyber ranges.

Allegany College of Maryland, Garrett College and Hagerstown Community College have received a $617,400 grant from the Senator George C. Edwards Fund toward a $686,000 project to implement two cyber ranges through the Cyber Workforce Accelerator program to assist cybersecurity students to prepare for careers, using real-world, cutting-edge simulation.

Created by the Maryland Association of Community Colleges (MACC) and BCR Cyber, the Cyber Workforce Accelerator program is designed to expand Maryland workforce development efforts and provide the state’s community colleges with BCR Cyber Series 3000 Cyber Ranges, offering access to advanced experiential training and education technology to train and certify thousands of entry level IT and cyber practitioners.

The fund grant facilitates the procurement, configuration and deployment of the cyber ranges, as well as required infrastructure upgrades, enhancements and staff training.

Delivery of the cyber ranges and training commencement is expected by April 1, 2025.

“This is going to be a game changer for our students,” said Hagerstown Community College President Jim Klauber. “Our cybersecurity students will learn how to effectively identify and address cyber threats. Employers will be able to watch students as they work through the simulations, giving the students the opportunity to showcase their skills and employability.”

The Senator George C. Edwards Fund is a four-year, $50 million program aimed to spur economic growth in Washington, Allegany and Garrett counties.

“This cyber range project will help our competitiveness in Western Maryland and will yield return on investment in this fast-growing industry. It is a great partnership between our three community colleges,” says Jake Shade, executive director of the Senator Edwards Fund.

BCR Cyber created a public-private consortium of more than 35 cybersecurity companies and government agencies that will steer course content development and recruit entry-level employees trained at the community college cyber ranges.

Each school will have a center with five workstations in which the students will complete approximately 40 hours of training for their capstone work, followed by a live experience with up to 10 hours of testing in simulated cyber threats.

BCR Cyber has trained thousands of people to work in the cybersecurity industry.

“There are not enough skilled professionals to meet the talent gap in cybersecurity here in Maryland and across the country,” says Michael Spector, president of BCR Cyber. “Partnering with these community colleges through the accelerator program is an effective way not only to create well-paid career opportunities, but also bring more students into an industry that desperately needs them.”

Recently, MACC — in partnership with BCR Cyber — was awarded $935,680 through the Maryland Department of Commerce’s “Build Our Future Grant Pilot Program” to fund the Cybersecurity Workforce Accelerator.

This award leverages $2 million of Congressionally Directed Spending obtained by U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris van Hollen that was allocated for the Accelerator earlier this year in the Federal FY25 Budget as matching funds.

The total amount awarded year to date for the accelerator is $3.6 million.

For more information about the program, go to www.bcrcyber.com .

From cyber security to eyelashes: Budding business owners get a start at new HCC facility

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Western Maryland community colleges receive Edwards Fund Grant for cyber ranges.