Cambridge College Emerging Tech Academy awarded Cummings Foundation Grant to support STEM for High School Students

On June 9th, Cambridge College was awarded $100,000 to support its efforts to connect girls and students of color to careers in emerging technology and specifically the cybersecurity industry.

The goal of the College’s Emerging Tech Academy (ETA) is to inspire and engage high school students to see a future for themselves in technology.  By participating in a series of year-round events and activities students will be introduced to the connection between college and careers in the tech industry via training sessions, networking opportunities with professionals, field visits to leading companies, and funding to complete college coursework that will count towards degree completion. In addition, these funds will also be used to acquire new laptops and special tech hardware for high school students in the training program.

As shared by President Deborah C. Jackson, “Our Emerging Tech Academy was created with the recognition that to establish, inspire and infuse diverse talent into the tech industry we must target students in elementary and high school that would typically be left behind.”

The Cummings Foundation $25 Million Grant Program supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and primarily serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties.  Support from the Foundation will enable Cambridge College to expand the program to reach more students and help encourage participation among industry partners seeking to diversify the talent pipeline into the technology field.

The College’s strategic consultant for this effort, Gary Evee, CEO of the cybersecurity consulting firm, Evee Security further adds, “Introducing high school students to the industry by exposing them to professionals and distinctive hands-on experiences that are part of ETA, will not only expand awareness but open the door for serious consideration by these students to pursue tech-based careers.”

At present, of the total number of professionals in the sector 7.9% are Black, 6.8% Hispanics, and 25% women. With 15,000 out of 23,000 jobs in cybersecurity currently vacant in the metro-Boston area, a collective and innovative effort is required to ensure that women and people of color are included in the solution.

According to President Jackson, “When we look at the large number of unfilled positions in the technology industry, we must conclude that increasing the talent pipeline with greater diversity must be part of the answer to solving this problem. To that end, Cambridge College is committed to creating a solution that serves both the economic goals of this industry and addresses the glaring racial and gender disparity in this field.”

Learn more about Cambridge College’s cyber programs 

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings and has grown to be one of the largest private foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities, in Marlborough and Woburn, and Cummings Health Sciences, LLC. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.