Universities, community colleges and nonprofit cybersecurity centers appearing before the Joint Business Committee on Jan. 22 said state funding tied to Senate Bill 18‑086 helped expand training, internships and research and urged continued support for fiscal 2025–27.

Panelists from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the National Cybersecurity Center, Colorado State University, Metropolitan State University Denver, Pikes Peak State College, Colorado Mesa University and others described a multi‑institution effort to increase K‑12 outreach, industry certificates and workforce pathways in rural and urban communities.

The presenters said the appropriations funded week‑long youth camps across the state, scholarships, instructor hires and internships that connect students with employers. Gretchen Bliss, UCCS director of cybersecurity programs, said the Mountain West Cybersecurity Consortium and state support enabled simultaneous camps from Gunnison to Grand Junction and Spanish‑language camps in Southern Colorado. She said a Better Foundation grant of $40,000 helped hire an instructor who will teach CompTIA Security+ to more than 150 students by March 2025.

Alita Jeffress, CEO of the National Cybersecurity Center, described programs that trained 203 students as analysts through a monitoring program called Pisces and identified more than 500 viable threats reported to partner organizations. Steve Simmski and Steve Lobos at Colorado State University highlighted research partnerships, an increasing share of external grant funding (CSU figures cited rising from about $498 million to $576 million) and a strategic Microsoft partnership to expand training and certification opportunities at Pueblo and Fort Collins campuses.

Other institutions described outcomes they tie to the state appropriation: Pikes Peak State College reported about 420 graduates from its program since funding began and said nearly all had obtained work in cybersecurity; Colorado Mesa reported scholarships and internships for students on the Western Slope and a National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence designation; Western Colorado University said funding supported scholarships for 35 of 37 students in its cybersecurity emphasis and helped hire faculty.

Several lawmakers asked how scholarship recipients are chosen and how graduates fit into state and federal employer needs. Presenters described open scholarship selection processes including faculty and DEI committee reviews, outreach to K‑12 pipelines and coordination across campuses. Committee members asked about placement for roles requiring security clearances; presenters said some students already hold clearances from military service and others are hired by contractors who will sponsor clearances.

Panelists also discussed long‑term industry concerns, including energy and data center demands tied to large computing loads and the need for renewable energy and transmission capacity to support growth in AI and data processing. Committee members raised questions about whether Colorado can supply the energy and workforce needs of expanding data centers and whether recruiting policies might push siting to neighboring states.

The session closed with lawmakers thanking the presenters and encouraging continued work to maintain the statewide network of training, internships and research that they said has contributed to Colorado’s cybersecurity workforce expansion.