{"id":205462,"date":"2026-03-25T13:30:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T13:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/205462\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T13:30:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T13:30:17","slug":"new-study-finds-work-based-learning-key-to-closing-the-cybersecurity-skills-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/205462\/","title":{"rendered":"New study finds work-based learning key to closing the cybersecurity skills gap"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Cassidy Delamarter<\/a>, USF College of Education, and Jeremy Maready, Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing<\/p>\n

As the demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to rise, new research from
\n the University of South Florida identified a growing interest among higher education
\n institutions to incorporate work-based learning in cybersecurity programs to help
\n close the gap between academic preparation and the skills employers are seeking.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The study, by Associate Professor Oscar A. Aliaga<\/a> and Assistant Professor No\u00e9mi Nagy<\/a> in the College of Education\u2019s Leadership, Policy and Lifelong Learning department,
\n examines work-based learning in cybersecurity programs in higher education institutions
\n around the country.<\/p>\n

Published in the Journal of Cybersecurity and Privacy<\/a>, the research highlights the importance of hands-on learning to better prepare students
\n for the rapidly evolving workforce.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is critical in an environment where technology is rapidly changing and the workforce
\n has to adapt to those changes,\u201d Aliaga said. \u201cStrengthening programs with the use
\n of work-based learning can create a more scalable, inclusive and career-ready cybersecurity
\n talent pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n

USF College of Education graduate students, Bonnie G\u00f3mez Torres, Ajara Mahmoud and
\n Courtney Callahan, helped map how work-based learning vary across programs and found
\n opportunities are most prevalent in associate degrees, which are two-year degree programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Aliaga recommends expanding these opportunities and strengthening partnerships between
\n higher education institutions and employers to provide the talent pipeline with experiential
\n learning and close potential skill gaps. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The findings in the study reflect the model being advanced in USF\u2019s Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing<\/a>, where partnerships with industry leaders such as Idaho National Laboratory, ConnectSecure,
\n Rapid7, Timus Networks and help provide students with invaluable experiential learning
\n opportunities through training, course collaboration and internship opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cExperiential learning is essential in a field like cybersecurity, where the tools,
\n threats and technologies are constantly evolving,\u201d said Kurt Friday<\/a>, an assistant professor in the Bellini College. \u201cBy working closely with industry
\n partners, we give students unique classroom opportunities to apply classroom lessons
\n to real-world challenges and better prepare them for careers in the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friday teaches two experiential learning courses, Cybersecurity Tools for Workforce
\n Readiness and Computing Tools for Workforce Readiness, developed with input from industry
\n partners, advisory board members and faculty members, along with an analysis of job
\n market trends and in-demand skills valued by employers.<\/p>\n

These efforts are designed to equip students with practical experience in areas such
\n as threat detection, threat intelligence and AI-enabled security operations. These
\n skills are increasingly important, particularly in Florida, as the Tampa Bay region
\n grows into a cybersecurity hub.<\/p>\n

One of the college\u2019s key partnerships is through the annual RealiQuest Labs program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The highly competitive program, which is a partnership between ReliaQuest and the
\n USF\u2019s Bellini College, gives students the opportunity to work through real-world security
\n scenarios, collaborate with industry professionals and gain experience using the tools
\n and processes found in modern security operations centers.<\/p>\n

Students work in teams to analyze threats, investigate simulated incidents and develop
\n the practical skills needed to defend organizations from cyberattacks.For many, the
\n experience is their first glimpse into what cybersecurity looks like beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n

Since it began in 2018 \u2013 originally led by the Muma College of Business \u2013 more than
\n 300 USF students have participated in the program. Many go on to interview for paid
\n internships or full-time roles with ReliaQuest.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to create an educational environment where students don\u2019t just learn
\n about cybersecurity and AI, they have opportunities to actively practice it in real-world
\n settings,\u201d said Sudeep Sarkar, launch dean USF\u2019s Bellini College. \u201cThrough experiential
\n learning and strong industry collaboration, our graduates are prepared to contribute
\n from day on<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By: Cassidy Delamarter, USF College of Education, and Jeremy Maready, Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":205463,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-205462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}