Building the Next Generation of CyberAI Talent for Critical Infrastructure
The CyberAI Workforce Accelerator is a multi-institution experiential learning program designed to prepare students for cybersecurity careers in operational environments where AI, cyber risk, and critical infrastructure intersect.
The inaugural edition of the program focuses on healthcare cybersecurity. Funded by the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) and delivered in partnership with NewPush, this first cohort will engage students from George Mason University, James Madison University, and other CCI institutions across Virginia through webinars, hands-on workshops, red-team simulations, a healthcare-focused CyberAI hackathon, and an employer-facing showcase.
About the Program
The CyberAI Workforce Accelerator is designed to create a reusable experiential learning model for preparing students to secure critical infrastructure in the era of AI. Each edition of the program may focus on a different high-consequence sector, while retaining a common structure built around student engagement, hands-on learning, practitioner mentoring, realistic scenarios, and employer-facing outcomes.
The inaugural healthcare-focused edition addresses a sector where cybersecurity failures can disrupt care delivery, expose sensitive data, compromise connected systems, and create patient-safety and operational risks. Students will learn to analyze cyber threats in realistic healthcare environments and develop practical, operationally feasible mitigations.
The program combines broad access with selective hands-on training. Students begin with a webinar series and may then apply for an intensive phase that includes guided workshops, mentored team exercises, red-team simulations, a CyberAI hackathon, and a final showcase with feedback from faculty, practitioners, and participating organizations.
Additional details, including webinar dates, application instructions, registration forms, mentor opportunities, and hackathon logistics, will be posted here as they become available.
