University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and MxD Learn, the workforce arm of MxD, seeks to collaboratively develop a curriculum to address the need for cybersecurity for operational manufacturing technology (OT).  Leveraging the MxD Learn’s previous work identifying the skills and abilities needed in future manufacturing positions and the development and dissemination of training opportunities and career pathways, MxD Learn will partner with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), a leader in cybersecurity education to create a curriculum that targets adult learners who are looking to increase their skills at the intersection of cybersecurity and manufacturing. The objective of the curriculum program is to provide current workers with learning opportunities that result in certification(s), giving them the tools necessary to execute careers in cybersecurity in manufacturing and increasing the security of U.S. manufacturers from cyber-attacks.

Rapid impact of this curriculum is facilitated by the course customization for individuals providing them the necessary information and skillsets they need as defined by their employers and through the knowledge brought from the team. Bringing this capability to the adult learner is possible due to work done by MxD on developing the only jobs taxonomy for cybersecurity in manufacturing and the strong educational history of UMBC in the cybersecurity space.  The first phase of this program is to develop an intake process (via short courses) that will enable the classification of individuals and skill sets that are needed to fill in the gaps identified by our network. Once established, a series of deeper dive courses can be built in the future for the individual profiles using experiential learning based on the initial work done during intake. This approach ensures a comprehensive view of requirements and expectations of all stakeholders; both Industry and Academic partners.