Matt Massey is superintendent of Madison County Schools. (CONTRIBUTED)

HAZEL GREEN – The growing demand for employees in high-tech jobs has spurred administrators at Hazel Green High School to offer a 21st-century subject for the fall semester.

Hazel Green Principal Darrell Long said the cyber security curriculum, which the state recently has approved, will help to prepare students. The new course will correlate to openings in the information technology (IT) and defense industries.

“On the heels of numerous high-profile data breaches across the United States and the world that resulted in millions of consumers’ personal information being compromised, there is already a major shortage of trained cyber security personnel,” John Southerland said. Southerland works as Director of Development and Communications for Madison County Schools.

A 2014 Cisco report projected a global shortage of 500,000 to 1 million people to work as IT security professionals, Southerland said.

“We are constantly looking at what we do in education and looking for ways to improve the quality and relevance for our students, both in the classroom and in what they leave our halls with,” Long said. “When the market is set to grow that much, it offers our school an excellent opportunity to combine our mission to educate the next generation and to provide them with a clear career path upon graduation.”

Madison County Schools Superintendent of Education Matt Massey agreed with Long. “This is great for Hazel Green and for Madison County Schools. Congratulations to Mr. Long and his team for working diligently to get this curriculum started,” Massey said.

“This area is a hotbed for high tech jobs that these students can pursue,” Massey said. “Whether Hazel Green High School graduates intend to pursue an aerospace or Department of Defense job, or continue their studies in higher education, our school is set to offer courses that give students options once they finish the program.”