Lt. Governor Rachel Hunt highlights need for cybersecurity workforce pipeline at Fayetteville Technical Community College

By Staff Report, posted Nov 9, 2026 on BizFayetteville.com

FTCC President Dr. Mark A. Sorrells and N.C. Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt talk with student Johans Nurkka, left, during Hunt’s visit to FTCC on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. Photo by FTCC.

Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt toured Fayetteville Technical Community College’s cybersecurity program Wednesday, Oct. 28, as a part of her Jobs of the Future initiative.

In addition to housing its own cybersecurity program, FTCC is a co-founder of the Carolina Cyber Network (CCN). Carolina Cyber Network connects colleges, universities, employers, government and community partners to help students build skills, gain real experience, and move into cybersecurity careers.

“When people across North Carolina talk about how to build a cybersecurity workforce, the model for it started right here. Five years ago, Fayetteville Tech and Montreat College set out to build a real path from the classroom to a cyber career,” said Lt. Governor Hunt in a press release. “If we want to prepare our students for the Jobs of the Future, this is how we do it.”

Lt. Governor Hunt watched a simulated cyberattack in FTCC’s IT/OT Lab, talked with a student panel about their experience in the program and the cybersecurity workforce and engaged with students in a perimeter defense class.

“North Carolina can’t just be investing in the industries it already has; it needs to be preparing for the Jobs of the future,” said FTCC President Dr. Mark Sorrells in a press release. “As a co-founder of the Carolina Cyber Network, a national cybersecurity workforce ecosystem model, we’re strengthening the pipeline of skilled cyber professionals and assisting with hardening the security posture of our state and nation.”

The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Fayetteville Technical Community College as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) through academic year 2028.

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