Growing the Cybersecurity Workforce Through Cybersecurity Career Awareness Professional Development for Academic Advisors and Career Counselors

Over the past 25 years, federal, state, and private sector initiatives have established cybersecurity education programs at post-secondary institutions, including the National Security Agency’s (NSA) and Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) programs and extensive free educational resources. Despite these efforts, the cybersecurity workforce gap persists, with nearly half a million positions unfilled annually in the United States. While many studies have examined the root causes of this gap, limited research has focused on the unique role of academic advisors and career counselors in guiding students toward cybersecurity pathways. This study employed a quasi-experimental design with 65 participants, including K-12 counselors, advisors, faculty, and administrators, and their community college and four-year college counterparts. Pre- and post-workshop surveys assessed knowledge and self-efficacy before and after a Cybersecurity Career Awareness Workshop. The workshop introduced cybersecurity pathways, workforce frameworks, certifications, and career resources, emphasizing technician-focused pathways. Results showed significant improvements in participants' knowledge and confidence, with increases ranging from 20.1 to 33.5 percentage points across cybersecurity domains and over 30 percentage points in self-efficacy measures. Pre- and post-workshop surveys demonstrated that the training positively impacted participants' knowledge and confidence in guiding students on cybersecurity pathways and counseling them on necessary skills, which can help address the workforce gap through improved career guidance.