Development of Methodological Guidelines for VET High Schools to Create an Internship Program in Cybersecurity

<< Background >>We initiated this project with the goal of engaging and inspiring high school students who have an interest in IT and cybersecurity. Our aim is to create opportunities for them to explore cybersecurity career paths and guide them toward employment in this expansive new field. The needs we addressed included: 1. Supporting VET Teachers: Helping teachers to learn how to align their career guidance skills with IT/cybersecurity professional knowledge and market needs.2. Empowering VET Students: An intensive 5-day cybersecurity training focused to attract and motivate students. This included teaching essentials of cybersecurity skills as well as focusing their awareness on todays and future career opportunities. 3. Creating Internship Guidelines: Methodological guidelines for VET high school cybersecurity internships. This addresses a lack of resources in high school education in regards to cybersecurity. 4. SME Collaboration: Enhancing collaboration between SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) and educational institutions to address workforce gaps. Currently there is a significant shortage of cybersecurity professionals in both private and public sectors. There is an expected 4 million job vacancies in the EU by 2025. << Objectives >>1. Enhancing the cybersecurity knowledge of VET high school students and facilitating their transition into cybersecurity-related careers.2. Assisting VET teachers in improving their career guidance skills to guide students toward cybersecurity employment opportunities.3. Establishing a cybersecurity internship program to foster collaboration between VET schools and SMEs, thereby offering practical learning interventions in the field of cybersecurity.<< Implementation >>We implemented the following activities: 1. Kick-off Meeting and Training (4 days): We organised a kick-off meeting and training session for VET teachers and students. The training was conducted by cybersecurity experts and covered a comprehensive cybersecurity curriculum. It included various knowledge areas related to cybersecurity, career guidance, and interactive sessions between teachers, students, and experts. Additionally, we incorporated game-based activities, fun interventions, practical challenges, and discussions.2. Research Activities for Cybersecurity Internship Program: We conducted research to develop methodological and practical guidelines for creating a cybersecurity internship program. This program aims to provide hands-on experience and prepare students for real-world cybersecurity challenges.3. Dissemination Interventions: To share our results, we planned and executed various dissemination interventions. These efforts helped transfer our findings and knowledge to the intended audience.<< Results >>1. Methodological and Practical Guidelines: A comprehensive set of guidelines has been developed for creating a cybersecurity internship program and a prototype for such an internship.2. Enhanced Knowledge and Skills: Both VET students and VET teachers have seen an increase in their knowledge, skills, and qualifications related to cybersecurity.3. Support for Student Career Development: VET students have received support in developing career-oriented skills, digital resilience, and the capacity to pursue careers in IT and cybersecurity fields.4. Improved Collaboration: Collaborative skills between businesses/SMEs and VET schools have been strengthened.