Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation

COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT FOR ELEVATEDEDAZ (WITH THE GREATER PHOENIX CHAMBER FOUNDATION): PURPOSE: THE ELEVATEEDAZ: CYBERSECURITY PATHWAY INITIATIVE AIMS TO ESTABLISH PATHWAY PROGRAMS THAT WILL PREPARE STUDENTS IN ARIZONA FOR PROFESSIONS IN CYBERSECURITY WHILE PUTTING A SPECIAL FOCUS ON EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES. UNDER THIS PROJECT, THE CHAMBER OF PHOENIX FOUNDATION WILL COLLABORATE WITH EDUCATIONAL, NONPROFIT, AND WORKFORCE PARTNERS TO CREATE, IMPLEMENT, AND EXECUTE ACCELERATED CYBERSECURITY CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION (CTE) PROGRAMS AT LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS WITHIN ARIZONA. ADDITIONALLY, ELEVATEEDAZ WILL FOCUS ON INCREASING THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN HIGH-DEMAND CAREER PATHWAYS, INCREASING THE ATTAINMENT OF BOTH DUAL-ENROLLMENT AND INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED CREDENTIALS, AND INCREASING THE NUMBER OF WORK-BASED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS WHILE ENCOURAGING EDUCATORS TO REIMAGINE CLASSROOM LEARNING THROUGH EDUCATOR EXTERNSHIPS.ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL LEVERAGE PARTNERSHIPS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, CONNECTING WITH LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS, PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS OVER A TWO-YEAR GRANT PERIOD. THE PROJECT AIMS TO CREATE A REPLICATE MODEL AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR A CYBERSECURITY PATHWAY PROGRAM. THE PROJECT WILL ENABLE STUDENT-WORK-BASED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES THAT ALLOW STUDENTS TO ENGAGE IN CTE PROGRAMMING AND CAREER EXPLORATION. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PATHWAYS PROGRAM WILL BE EXECUTED THROUGH CYBER SECURITY BOOTCAMPS, ASSESSMENTS, WORKSHOPS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, AND PARTNERSHIPS TO BUILD TECHNICAL SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES FOR THE CYBER SECURITY WORKFORCE.EXPECTED OUTCOMES: SUCCESS IN THIS PROJECT WILL RESULT IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CYBERSECURITY CTE PATHWAYS IN SELECT SCHOOLS ACROSS THE STATE OF ARIZONA. THE PROJECT'S ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES WILL MEASURE THE ENGAGEMENT, PARTICIPATION, AND PROGRESS OF 120 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN OVER 300 CYBERSECURITY WORK-BASED OPPORTUNITIES. THE ANTICIPATED IMPACTS AND EVALUATION PROCESSES WILL ADDRESS THE NICE STRATEGIC GOALS THAT WILL EXPAND THE USE OF THE NICE FRAMEWORK BY BUILDING AN ECOSYSTEM THAT PROMOTES AND CONNECTS CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: THE BROADER PUBLIC WILL BENEFIT FROM THE WORK OF THIS PROJECT. DOCUMENTATION AND PUBLICATION OF THE PROGRAM RESULTS WILL HELP SUPPORT THE EXPANSION OF THE PATHWAYS PROGRAMS, REACHING ADDITIONAL HIGH SCHOOL AND HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS FROM LOCAL TO STATEWIDE. LOCAL INDUSTRY WILL ALSO BENEFIT FROM THE PROJECT AS AN INCREASED SUPPLY OF TALENT, PREPARED WITH KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS DEMANDED BY INDUSTRY, WILL BE AVAILABLE TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE PIPELINE. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: SUBAWARDS TO CENTER FOR THE FUTURE OF ARIZONA ($ 15,000).