Marshall University is expanding a pathway to cybersecurity jobs by addressing a specific employer demand: experience. In a feature on the Marshall Institute for Cyber Security, director of operations James Lanham says the biggest barrier for new graduates is that employers want candidates who have already built real-world skills. To close that gap, the program is leveraging partnerships—highlighting collaboration with Intuit—to provide structured opportunities that function as the “experience” hiring managers typically require. The emphasis is on moving students from coursework into job-relevant practice while building industry-ready capability. For university workforce developers, the story underscores how cybersecurity education is evolving from credentialing to demonstrable practice. Partnerships with technology employers can also help align learning outcomes to the competency frameworks employers use when screening. The immediate implication for other institutions is that work-integrated components—projects, labs, and partner-sponsored experiences—are becoming central to career outcomes in high-demand security fields.