ACTE Postsecondary CTE Summit 2026

Effective secondary-to-post-secondary transitions are built through intentional outreach that helps students recognize educational pathways, build confidence, and envision themselves as future college students before enrollment decisions are made. This session highlights how Marion Technical College (MTC) strengthens rural cybersecurity pathways through targeted outreach strategies developed as part of its National Science Foundation - Advanced Technical Education (NSF-ATE) funded project, Expanding Cybersecurity Education at a Rural Community College (#2350280).
 
Rural Ohio students frequently enter post-secondary education at a disadvantage due to socioeconomic barriers and inequities in school funding systems that limit access to high-quality career and technical education. In response, MTC partners with secondary schools, school districts, and community organizations to deliver hands-on cybersecurity experiences that make post-secondary pathways visible, relevant, and attainable.
 
A cornerstone of this outreach is the College’s Mobile Training Lab—a 40‑foot, self-contained, handicap-accessible mobile classroom equipped to deliver college-level cybersecurity activities at high schools and rural community sites. Bringing the lab directly to students reduces geographic and financial barriers while allowing them to experience high-quality instruction, advanced technology, and post-secondary expectations in familiar settings. This approach is particularly impactful for first-generation students, who are often unaware of cybersecurity and other emerging career fields due to limited local exposure.
 
The session also highlights summer cybersecurity camps, which provide immersive, short-term experiences designed to increase career awareness and student interest, particularly among rural learners. In addition, structured campus visit days strengthen transitions by intentionally connecting outreach to enrollment through lab experiences, faculty interaction, and clear explanations of stackable credentials and cybersecurity career pathways.
 
Evaluation findings demonstrate how mobile outreach, summer camps, and campus visit days function together to increase student awareness, confidence, and enrollment. Collectively, these strategies illustrate what successful secondary-to-post-secondary transitions can look like in rural communities and offer a replicable model for institutions seeking to expand equitable access to cybersecurity education.
 
This session will benefit community college faculty, administrators, outreach and recruitment staff, grant managers, and secondary education partners seeking effective strategies to strengthen rural career and technical education pathways. Participants will gain practical insights into mobile outreach, summer camps, and structured campus visits that can be adapted to their own institutions and communities. The session will include guided discussion, examples of outreach activities delivered through the Mobile Training Lab, and a review of evaluation findings to support institutional decision-making. Attendees will receive a slide deck and sample outreach planning resources that illustrate how these strategies can be implemented or scaled within their own programs.