Arlington, Va., Aug. 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Air Force Association's (AFA) CyberPatriot Program Office has announced the Bay Area Community College Consortium as its newest CyberPatriot Center of Excellence.
CyberPatriot, the nation's largest and fastest growing youth cyber education program, is AFA's flagship science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program dedicated to strengthening cyber skills among American youth. The Center of Excellence designation is awarded to communities and institutions that provide leadership and support to further the educational experiences of their students through the CyberPatriot program.
CyberPatriot established the Center of Excellence program in 2011, and has since recognized 13 other entities – Los Angeles Unified School District, City of San Antonio, Spokane Public Schools (Wash.), Rose State College (Okla.), Fairfax County Public Schools (Va.), STEMspark East Tennessee Innovation Hub, Huntsville City Schools (Ala.), Lee’s Summit R-7 School District (Mo.), SoCal Cybersecurity Community College Consortium, Elk Grove Unified School District (Calif.), and Red Bank Regional High School District (NJ), Midwest CISSE Chapter (Mich.), and Securing Our eCity Foundation (Calif.).
The Bay Area Community College Consortium (BACCC) is comprised of the 28 colleges surrounding the San Francisco and Monterey bays. Funded by the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998, the BACCC’s goal is to develop pathways to success in cybersecurity for K-12 students, focusing on building ethical, technical, and soft skills through the AFA’s CyberPatriot national cyber defense competition, camps, and more.
Through the Western Academy Support and Training Center (WASTC), the consortium provides professional development for all participating teachers, college students, parents, and community partners to become coaches, mentors, or active supporters developing their cybersecurity skills. The BACCC is proudly partnered with Cisco Systems, a long-time CyberPatriot sponsor. Cisco has provided the consortium with venues, support, training, and mentorship.
Through efforts beginning in 2015, the BACCC has introduced 13 high schools and middle schools to CyberPatriot, prompting participation in both the competition and camps. It has also distributed and showcased CyberPatriot’s Elementary School Cyber Education Initiative during career exploration days at local elementary schools for grades 4-6, providing students and parents copies of the program. In the upcoming school year, the BACCC plans to work more closely with a few pilot elementary schools to offer the content in a manner similar to its technical mentoring program.
For more information on the Bay Area Community College Consortium and CyberPatriot's Center of Excellence program, visit http://uscyberpatriot.org/about/centers-of-excellence.
The Air Force Association is a non-profit, independent, professional military and aerospace education association. Our mission is to promote a dominant United States Air Force and a strong national defense, and to honor Airmen and our Air Force Heritage.