Cybersecurity is a leading and emerging area of significant importance to the future of our society. The Innovation Center has many opportunities for students to engage in this fast growing career sector.
Check out this article highlighting some of the work from the Innovation Center Cybersecurity team from the Longmont Leader.
Pathway Overview
Course Offerings
- Prerequisite: None
- Open to all 9th-12th grade students
Protect your data; protect yourself!
Step into an exhilarating journey of cybersecurity like never before! This dynamic course is your ticket to mastering the art of shielding yourself and businesses from digital threats. From unraveling the mysteries of encryption to deciphering hacker tactics in Types of Attacks, you’ll explore Citizen Security, Networking, Cyber Defense, Ethics and Law, and Risk Management in an engaging and hands-on way. Get ready to wield industry tools, unlock the secrets of the digital realm, and emerge as a skilled digital defender. This course isn’t just about learning—it’s about becoming the cyber-hero the world needs!
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisites: None
Description: What is “the cloud”? What happens when you use “the cloud”? Did you know that you are using the cloud when you watch your favorite Netflix show, scroll through your Instagram feed, or use Google?
This course will open your eyes to the foundations of the future! Leveraging coursework by Amazon Web Services (AWS) Academy, students will learn about the cutting edge of technology infrastructure. Students will explore:
- The core concepts of cloud computing including services, security, architecture, and more
- The business case for cloud computing
- Emerging technology use cases enabled by cloud
- How cloud computing has evolved
Even though this course does not require any prior cloud computing or programming experience, by the end of the semester, you will have created your own AWS Academy Cloud account and gained hands-on experience setting up a cloud service. This course prepares you to take the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam at the end of the semester. This will help you gain a competitive advantage in this high-demand industry and can lead to opportunities for higher-level industry certifications.
Offered through Agile.
** Industry Certificate Available **
- Grades: 10th-12th
- Prerequisite: CTE80120 Intro to Cybersecurity
Be a hacker; ethically.
In this course you will uncover the art of penetration testing—a way to find and fix vulnerabilities in digital systems. We’ll start with the basics and guide you through planning, sneaky reconnaissance, scanning, clever exploitation, post-exploitation tactics, and even how to report your findings. Imagine becoming a digital detective, learning how to uncover weak spots before the bad guys can. Plus, you won’t just learn, you’ll also get to practice your skills in hands-on labs using a cloud-based setup.
- Open to all 9th-12th grade students
- Opportunity to earn the PCEP – Certified Entry Level Python Programming Certification
- Concurrent Enrollment – Aims CC (3 college credits)
Slither your way into coding and apply it to AI and cybersecurity!
Get ready for an exhilarating coding adventure designed just for you! In the first half, we’ll unlock the wonders of Python—your gateway to making computers do incredible things. You’ll conquer data types, variables, conditional statements, looping, functions, text files, and more. But here’s where it gets seriously awesome—in the second half, we’ll take your Python skills to the next level and dive headfirst into Cybersecurity magic. Think password cracking, automating tasks, and more.
- Open to all 9th-12th graders
- Opportunity to earn the Linux Essentials Certification.
- Concurrent Enrollment – Aims CC (3 college credits)
Open doors to Linux: open the sources!
Get ready to explore Linux! We’ll start from the basics and dive into the Linux way of doing things. You’ll learn essential tools like command lines and text editors, and then progress to handling advanced tasks like managing users and setting up networks. By the end, you’ll be equipped with the skills to navigate Linux confidently and tackle real-world system administration challenges.
Year Long Course
Grades: 11, 12
Prerequisites: Intro to Cybersecurity (CTE80120)
Description: In this year-long course we’ll prepare for a career in the high-growth field of cybersecurity. Get professional training designed and delivered by subject matter experts at Google and have the opportunity to connect with top employers. During the 8 courses in this certificate program, you’ll learn from cybersecurity experts at Google and gain in-demand skills that prepare you for entry-level roles like cybersecurity analyst, security operations center (SOC) analyst, and more.
This course is an online course that has both synchronous and asynchronous components. Opportunity for CompTIA Security+ certification and for Google Professional Cybersecurity Certification.
.***Concurrent Enrollment: Aims CC // CNG 1032 Network Security Fundamentals // 3 college credits
** Industry Certificate Available **
