CompTIA Launches CyberPrep for Schools

Plug-and-play curriculum allows non-technical teachers to deliver tech education to students

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Apr 30, 2020, 11:20 ET

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., April 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CompTIA announced its new tech curriculum, CompTIA CyberPrep, which allows middle schools and high schools, regardless of teacher experience in technology, to give their students a tech education. Schools can get their students interested in technology, opening their eyes to tech careers, while educating and certifying them in tech skills.

Using a rich mixture of fun lessons available for use in the classroom or online or a hybrid of both, students learn the way they want to learn so that they can relate IT to their lives.

"Some students and schools think that IT is all about coding, but there is a huge variety of skills and jobs needed in tech. In CyberPrep's pilot course, students get broad exposure to technology – from computing basics and IT infrastructure to software development and data analytics," said Todd Thibodeaux, CEO, CompTIA.

"Plus, we know that schools don't have nearly enough trained teachers with technology experience. But, any teacher with some basic computer skills can teach CyberPrep courses after attending our virtual training. The program also includes teacher resources and access to our community of 2,000+ tech instructors, so that the teachers can become facilitators instead of lecturers," added Thibodeaux.

CompTIA CyberPrep contains "plug-and-play" curriculum components, certification vouchers and facilitator training with package pricing based on the number of students in class. Geared for teaching throughout a traditional school calendar, the pilot curriculum builds a foundation for higher IT courses and certifications.

Six high schools have been selected to pilot CompTIA CyberPrep for the 2020-2021 school year:

Ballard High School, Jefferson County Public Schools, KY
Ballou Senior High School, DC Public Schools, DC
Brooklyn STEAM Center, Brooklyn, NY
Henry Ford High School, Detroit Public Schools, MI
Stone High School, Stone County School District, MS
West High School, Knox County Schools, TN

The pilots curriculum maps toward the industry-recognized, vendor-agnostic credential for CompTIA ITF Fundamentals (ITF+) certification. All CompTIA certifications are created by the tech industry and regularly updated with input from CompTIA's membership of thousands of global tech companies and millions of tech industry professional and executives.

CompTIA also assists schools in mapping the program to state education requirements and Perkins funding requirements, in order to gain district/state approval. Schools can track the certification rates of their students to report on the program's success.

Schools interested in learning more about CompTIA CyberPrep should contact Tazneen Kasem, [email protected] or their CompTIA Academic Partner Program account manager.

What Schools Are Saying About CompTIA CyberPrep

"I am extremely excited that Ballard High School has been selected as one of six schools to pilot CompTIA CyberPrep. At Ballard, we believe in providing students a wide variety of opportunities, in a rigorous learning environment, that enables them to pursue areas of interest. The addition of CompTIA allows us to improve the student experience by further developing our Cyber Engineering program through the mixture of both online and teacher-led instruction." – Dr. Jason Neuss, Principal, Ballard High School, Jefferson County Public Schools, KY

"The Brooklyn STEAM Center is an innovative career and technical training hub for 11^th and 12^th grade students, immersed within a robust industry environment, which prepares a pipeline of talented young adults who will thrive in the rapidly evolving manufacturing, technology, and creative fields. In our computer science and information technology course, we prepare our scholars for a rapidly dynamic world of technology with fundamental knowledge in PC hardware and troubleshooting, operating systems, networking, security and computer science principles. We equip our students with multiple industry-recognized certifications and are constantly engaging with industry partners, like CompTIA, to improve our existing curriculum to stay relevant, and look forward to incorporating the new CompTIA CyberPrep program into our curriculum." – Emama Akhter, Computer Science and Information Technology Instructor, The Brooklyn STEAM Center, Brooklyn, NY

"Henry Ford High School is a part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District and has a student population of more than 600 students, most of whom receive free or reduced lunch. This fall, we are launching our Early Middle College (EMC) Program, where students can graduate with a high school diploma and an associate degree in just five years. I am excited to be partnering with CompTIA to offer the IT Fundamentals (ITF+) course [part of CompTIA CyberPrep] to our students as part of our EMC program. In addition to being able to provide students with an opportunity to earn an industry certification (which is one of the premises of our EMC Program), it also provides our students the opportunity to gain proficiency in foundational areas such as information security, computer hardware and software tools, database fundamentals, networking, programming and app development and so much more. The curriculum compliments what the students will be learning in our EMC program and helps to build solid IT professionals." – Lakeza Ball, Educator and CTE Instructor, Henry Ford High School, Detroit Public Schools, MI

"We are excited to be able to partner with CompTIA this school year. One of the goals for our IT department at West High has been to add more classes that offer early postsecondary opportunities. This is a perfect example of that goal. Our students will be eligible and ready to take the CompTIA certification exam at the end of the year. We are thankful for the diverse curriculum that is being created to meet the needs of all students." – Gina Hodges, Career & Technical Education, CAS Coordinator, West High School, Knox County Schools, TN

About CompTIA
CompTIA is the voice of the world's IT industry. Its members are the companies at the forefront of innovation; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their investments in technology. CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications and public policy advocacy. To learn more visit CompTIA online, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Press Contact:
Lisa Fasold
Creating IT Futures/CompTIA
630-678-8558
[email protected]

SOURCE CompTIA