RAMPS in Washington State: Building Cybersecurity Pathways from K-12 to College to Career 

Washington employers expect to hire thousands of cybersecurity professionals over the next five years, yet most students never hear about these careers while there is still time to prepare for them. The RAMPS grant exists to close that gap. 

About the Grant

In 2025, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded a $200,000, two-year RAMPS grant ("Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Development")  to Whatcom Community College (#70NANB25H167-0) — also home to the NCyTE Center. The project, "Accelerating Cybersecurity Workforce Development through Aligned Pathways and Micro-Credentials," brings together the Northwest Educational Service District 189 (Career Connect NW), WaTech, Microsoft, and Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges. 

While NCyTE serves cybersecurity education nationally, this RAMPS project is Washington-focused: it connects the state’s high schools, skills centers, and community and technical colleges into one coordinated talent pipeline. 

A Three-Part Mission 

1. Career Awareness — Workshops for Educators, Counselors, and Advisors 

We deliver regional "K12-to-College" workshops that equip high school teachers, counselors, CTE directors, and college advisors to guide students into cybersecurity pathways. Participants learn to navigate the NICE Workforce Framework, explore real labor-market data with CyberSeek, explain the value of starting a cyber pathway in high school, and build educational roadmaps from high school courses to college programs. The grant calls for four regional workshops training 100+ educators across Washington. 

2. Curriculum Alignment — A Regional Community of Practice 

Led by NWESD 189, the project convenes high school and college faculty, workforce professionals, and employers in a Cybersecurity Community of Practice. Meeting quarterly, this network aligns IT and computer science curriculum across education sectors using the NICE Framework, shares curriculum maps and competency frameworks, and supports educators in adopting cybersecurity coursework. 

3. Job-Ready Credentials — Industry-Validated Micro-Credentials 

With validation from employers including WaTech and Microsoft, the project designs and pilots two short-term, stackable micro-credentials aligned to in-demand roles such as Cloud Security Engineer and AI Security Analyst. Credentials are mapped to the NICE Framework, aligned with NCAE-C program standards, and built to serve both students and incumbent workers — bridging non-credit training and college credit. 

Resources from the K12-to-College Workshops 

If you attended one of the workshops, the tools and references shared are provided below: