Girl Scouts will soon be ready to take over your IT department. 。

The organization is teaming up with Palo Alto Networks, an internet security company, to introduce a set of new badges to promote computer and internet literacy and cybersecurity. The initiative aims to foster educational programs across all ages of the Girl Scouts, with a major emphasis on providing access to girls who might otherwise never be exposed to the field.
。

The 18 new badges will be available to Girl Scouts across the US starting in September 2018.。

SEE ALSO:'Superstars of STEM' want to engage more women in science and here's how
。 The programs behind the badges will cover a wide range of cyber topics, according to
。CNN Tech。

. Younger girls will learn the basics of data privacy and online safety, while the older Scouts will be introduced to coding, the principles of firewalls, and even how to become a white hat hacker.。

Have you heard the news?

Have you heard the news? GSUSA is working with PaloAltoNtwks to develop #cybersecurity badges for girls in K-12! https://t.co/d4c58nWREP pic.twitter.com/H6UkHNAyEd
。

— Girl Scouts (girlscouts) June 16, 2017。

The new badges aren't just an effort to give today's Scouts a more well-rounded experience to go with their cookie sales and camping lessons -- they're an investment in the digital landscape of the future, which will need as many workers as it can get. While there is expected to be a deficit of 3.5 million jobs within cybersecurity field by 2021, a recent study by (ISC)² found that only 11 percent of its current professionals are women.。