Alignment with Industry - External
NICE Framework
NIST Special Publication 800-181 revision 1, the Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework), provides a set of building blocks for describing the tasks, knowledge, and skills that are needed to perform cybersecurity work performed by individuals and teams. Through these building blocks, the NICE Framework enables organizations to develop their workforces to perform cybersecurity work, and it helps learners to explore cybersecurity work and to engage in appropriate learning activities to develop their knowledge and skills.
National Security Agency - Center of Academic Excellence (NSA-CAE)
The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program is managed by NSA's National Cryptologic School. Federal partners include the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)/National Initiative on Cybersecurity Education (NICE), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Defense Office of the Chief Information Officer (DoD-CIO), and U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM).
Workforce Education Course Manual (WECM)
The WECM is a statewide inventory of workforce education courses offered for semester credit hours (SCH) and Continuing Education Units (CEUs). These courses are used by the college to respond rapidly to the needs of business and industry. The WECM offers a means for the college to continually design and update high quality workforce courses by receiving input from business/industry and community college faculty throughout Texas.
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) approves all courses cited in the WECM for use by Texas public community and technical colleges. Students who earn semester credit hours or CEUs by successfully completing requirements for the course(s) will be able to transfer the credits or CEUs to another Texas public community or technical college offering the same course(s).
Texas Skills Standards Board (TSSB)
The National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies (NWCET) skill standards specify what a worker needs to know and be able to do on the job, as well as the level of performance required to demonstrate competence in that knowledge and skill. Both work- and worker-oriented information are essential pieces of meaningful skill standards.
The Texas skill standards elements, format, and recognition requirements were designed to facilitate portability of credentials and transferability of individuals’ skills, and to promote the linkage of state and national skill standards efforts.
Occupational Information Network (O*NET)
The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) is developed under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA) through a grant to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
Central to the project is the O*NET database, containing hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors on almost 1,000 occupations covering the entire U.S. economy. The database, which is available to the public at no cost, is continually updated from input by a broad range of workers in each occupation.
Industry Certifications - Cybersecurity
The Cybersecurity program at TSTC maps courses to industry certifications to ensure standards are current and relative to the field. These certifications include:
Industry Certifications - ADEG
The Architectural Drafting and Engineering Graphics program at TSTC maps courses to industry certifications to ensure standards are current and relative to the field. These certifications include:
The National Society of Professional Surveyors - Certified Survey Technician (CST)
Teaches with Industry software SOLIDWORKS, AutoDesk AutoCAD, Revit, and Civil 3D.
Alignment with Industry - Internal
Calibrate helps to close skill gaps by ensuring that what is taught in the classroom aligns with marketable skills needed in the workplace. It engages industry experts online to validate skills needed today and stay connected as skills change to ensure relevance tomorrow.
Advisory Board
Faculty and administrators at colleges and universities are accountable to stakeholders for the relevancy and quality of academic programs. Advisory boards can support academic program accountability by providing guidance and feedback and serving as partners in research and community collaborations.
Advisory boards are comprised of employers throughout the state of Texas and represent Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in many facets of the represented degree programs.
TSTC Instructors come from Industry
TSTC faculty are required to have five years working industry experience in their field as a condition of employment.
Alignment with Industry - Career Information
To help close the cybersecurity skills gap, Cyberseek provides detailed, actionable data about supply and demand in the cybersecurity job market.
Cyberseek.org includes an Interactive Heatmap which details number of openings and employed workforce, supply/demand ration, geographic concentration, and job titles for the US as a whole and each state. The Career Pathway tool shows key jobs within cybersecurity, common transition opportunities between them, and detailed information about the salaries, credentials, and skillsets associated with each role.
Zippia includes information on the drafting career, open jobs, career paths, salary, demographics, and education requirements.
Zippia includes interactive tools for career paths and a nationwide job search. It also details top skills for an architectural drafter as well as common job responsibilities.