Officials with the Houston Community College system opened the Security Operations Center, a simulated training lab, at the system's West Loop campus on June 24. The building is designed to prepare students for high-skilled jobs in cybersecurity.

The center was funded through a $650,000 state grant. It features a training ground where students can play out scenarios and defend against cyberattacks in a controlled environment.

“With the opening of the new center, the college is equipping students with the skills needed not only for their careers but also for making a lasting impact on the nation’s security across industries and organizations,” said Madeline Burillo-Hopkins, president of HCC Southwest and vice chancellor of HCC Workforce Instruction, in a statement.

There are over 700,000 cybersecurity job openings in the U.S., according to Samir Saben, dean of the HCC Digital Information and Technology Center of Excellence. Of those, 83,000 openings are in Texas, with 9,000 of them in Houston, according to CyberSeek, a national project of the tech organizations Emsi Burning Glass, CompTIA and National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education.

HCC is training individuals to help fight against this shortage of workers, officials said. Over 500 students are enrolled in cybersecurity at the campus.

“Students who complete an associate degree or certificate in cybersecurity at HCC are landing high-paying jobs right out of the gate, such as IT help desk and computer support specialists,” Saben said. “Others go on to become security analysts, security engineers and cybersecurity architects.”