The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received a $750,000 grant to advance workforce development initiatives in cybersecurity.
UA Little Rock is among 14 institutions that were awarded nearly $26 million in training grants in December.
The grant will support several workforce initiatives led by UA Little Rock’s cybersecurity, computer science and information technology faculty. The initiatives include the development of two new certificates of proficiency in artificial intelligence and software engineering.
Additionally, the funding will enhance the Certificate of Proficiency in Cyber-Informed Engineering by integrating it into the Cyber Learning Network. The first course in the Cyber-Informed Engineering program, Industrial System Security, is scheduled to launch in Fall 2025.
“These specialization tracks give students a broad range of skills to prepare for the workforce and help them identify career paths,” Sandra Leiterman, director of cybersecurity education and outreach at UA Little Rock, said in a press release. “Certificates completed in a shorter timeframe allow students to enter the workforce quickly or gain new skills while already working. They also provide opportunities for career advancement and higher pay as students continue earning additional certifications.”
The grant will also enable Virtual Arkansas to adapt UA Little Rock’s Cybersecurity 1 course for concurrent enrollment, which will allow qualified high school teachers to teach the course to Arkansas high school students. Teachers who have completed UA Little Rock’s National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy (NCTA) will be eligible to teach these classes. UA Little Rock aims to launch the concurrent enrollment classes by Fall 2025.
The funds were announced by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Arkansas Division of Higher Education Commissioner Ken Warden and Chief Workforce Officer Mike Rogers as part of the Higher Industry Readiness through Educational Development (HIRED) Program. The program, funded by the Workforce Initiative Act of 2015, aims to bolster Arkansas’s workforce in key industries.
“All of these programs are designed to make jobs more accessible and to meet the increasing demand for cybersecurity professionals in Arkansas,” Philip Huff, associate professor of cybersecurity at UA Little Rock, said in the release. “These early-college certificate programs help current workers upskill and prepare new workers for the job market. A key benefit is that these certificates are stackable toward a bachelor’s degree, allowing working adults to pursue education at their own pace while enhancing their career prospects.”
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