Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Co-Chair Gayle Manchin visited Marshall University today for a roundtable with representatives from more than a half dozen colleges and universities located throughout the Appalachian Region focusing on efforts to create a model for cyber security education that can be scaled throughout the country.
The project is funded by the ARC’s ARISE grant initiative that drives large-scale, regional economic transformation through multi-state collaboratives in the Appalachian region.
Manchin said collaboration among institutions in the region will have a powerful impact in delivering a trained cyber workforce.
“Appalachia’s academic institutions are integral to the growth of our region’s cyber security workforce,” said Manchin. “Cyber security is an industry that requires a continuum of learning. By collaborating across community colleges and four-year universities, the academic institutions at today’s roundtable will give Appalachians the skillsets and knowledge they need to obtain careers in this growing field and establish our region as a stronghold for cyber security nationwide.”
Attending this morning’s roundtable were individuals from Mississippi State University, University of Alabama-Huntsville, Tennessee Tech University, West Virginia State University, Mountwest Community and Technical College, Ashland Community and Technical College and Marshall University, among others from the ARC.
Manchin also visited the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center which is launching a new career skills training program with a $1 million ARC grant. The enhanced industrial maintenance program called SMART (Systems Maintenance, Automation and Robotics Technology), offered in partnership with Mountwest Community and Technical College, will begin classes this fall at MAMC Huntington and at the Marshall University Mid-Ohio Valley Center in Point Pleasant.