Pennsylvania Cybersecurity Center to Launch Esports League
Pennsylvania Cybersecurity Center to Launch Esports League
Publish Date: 2026-05-07 16:07:00
Source Domain: www.govtech.com
(TNS) — The Pennsylvania Cybersecurity Center will be expanding its services this year thanks to a $100,000 state grant.
Students enrolled in the center must complete a two-year program that offers up to three cybersecurity certifications — allowing the students to directly enter the workforce or further their education with college or the military.
The center is overseen by the LindenPointe Development Corporation, or LDC, which operates out of the eCenter@LindenPointe in Hermitage.
The center’s programs are expected to grow following the announcement Tuesday by state Rep. Parke Wentling (R-Mercer) that the Pennsylvania Cybersecurity Center was awarded a $100,000 Job Training and Education Programs Grant by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
LDC Executive Director Bradley Calleja said the grant funds would go toward developing an esports league, which would operate out of the center’s campus at LindenPointe.
The esports league would cater to students from schools across Pennsylvania and combine the enjoyment of competitive video games with real-world education and training in fields like cybersecurity and computer science, Calleja said.
“At this point, many universities have full esports teams and offer scholarships for esports,” Calleja said. “And we have a partnership with the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, which both have esports teams that travel the country and compete.”
Cybersecurity center officials are in the process of recruiting students and school districts for the esports league.
The league is expected to kick off this fall during the next school year, using a 25-seat computer lab at the Training and Workforce Development Center, located near the eCenter.
Aside from esports, the $100,000 grant and other funding sources will also support new training and certifications at the cybersecurity center, such as trainings aimed at artificial intelligence or summer bootcamps,…
