Cyber Warriors of Tomorrow: Free High School Training Boosts Skills

Summary

• Youth Training Program: North Central Kansas Technical College (NCK Tech) is offering a cybersecurity course for high school students.
• Free Summer Course: Regional funding covers the cost, so students pay nothing.
• Instructor Expertise: Matt Deighton, who has more than two decades of IT experience, teaches the course.
• Hands-On Experience: Students work through cryptography, phishing and network security with practical exercises.
• Rising Youth Interest: Strong enrollment suggests more young people are curious about security careers.

Cyber Warriors of Tomorrow: Free High School Training Boosts Skills

Cyberattacks keep getting more sophisticated, and employers can’t find enough trained people to stop them. North Central Kansas Technical College (NCK Tech) is trying to help close that gap early. It is offering a free cybersecurity course for high school students.

The Program’s Vision: Bridging the Skills Gap

The shortage of cybersecurity workers is a worldwide problem. NCK Tech, based in Beloit, Kansas, launched a summer course to get local teens started. Regional funding pays for it. That means any interested student can join without worrying about cost.

Matt Deighton leads the course. He has more than twenty years of experience in information technology and guides students through the basics of the field.

Practical Training: More Than Just Theory

The course is built around hands-on work. Students don’t just read about attacks. They practice defending against them in exercises that cover cryptography and phishing, along with ransomware and the basics of keeping a network secure. That gives them a feel for both sides of the job.

The idea is to have students solve the kinds of problems they would face on the job, not just memorize terms.

A Surge in Interest Among Young Learners

Interest has been strong. The course filled its roster this summer. More high school students are clearly thinking about careers in cyber defense.

NCK Tech is part of a wider trend. More schools now teach security concepts early, and that helps build the workforce the industry will need.

Building the Future of Cyber Defense

Programs like this show what early education can do. Attackers keep adapting, so the people who stop them need to start learning sooner. Training teenagers now pays off later.

A free summer course gives students real skills. For some, it may spark a career. Schools and employers both benefit when that happens.

The lesson for educators and industry is simple: start with students, and start early.

Dan Evert, CCNP

Dan Evert is a self proclaimed Router Jockey. Dan got heavily involved in networking right out of high school and has never looked back! Dan is giving back by working with high school students to get them involved and interested in Networking and Security.