The Biden administration on Monday rolled out its first-ever National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy (NCWES), announcing a series of “generational investments” to address immediate and long-term cyber workforce needs.
The new strategy seeks to transform cyber education in K-12 schools, community colleges and technical schools, invest in teachers and cyber education systems and make training more accessible and affordable.
“Filling the hundreds of thousands of cyber job vacancies across our nation is a national security imperative,” according to a strategy document that highlights multiple public-private sector spending initiatives. “[The strategy] is positioned to empower every American seeking to participate in our digital ecosystem and underscores the critical need to fill a vast number of vacant cyber jobs.”
“Many communities currently underrepresented in the cyber workforce do not envision themselves in cyber jobs or are not aware of the tremendous opportunity to join this important and growing workforce. The strategy focuses on empowering Americans to pursue these career paths in cyber. Many of these jobs are attainable with a certificate or community college degree, and available now in your local community and across the country,” it added.
“[The national strategy] envisions a skills-based digital future where workers have access to good-paying, middle-class cyber jobs within their communities. In addition, educators are enabled to continuously upskill the public, and employers can expand and diversify their workforce,” the administration said.
The strategy rollout follows the nomination of former NSA and CIA official Harry Coker to replace the retired Chris Inglis as National Cyber Director.
The Biden administration has also released a National Cyber Strategy that approves mandatory regulations on critical infrastructure vendors and green-lights a more aggressive ‘hack-back’ approach to dealing with foreign adversaries.
Related: Harry Coker Tapped for National Cyber Director Job
Related: US Cyber Strategy Pushes Regulation, Aggressive Hack-Back
Related: U.S. Government Launches Cyber Career Path Tool
Related: Security Leaders Find Value in Veterans to Fill Cyber Jobs
Ryan Naraine is Editor-at-Large at SecurityWeek and host of the popular Security Conversations podcast series. He is a security community engagement expert who has built programs at major global brands, including Intel Corp., Bishop Fox and GReAT. Ryan is a founding-director of the Security Tinkerers non-profit, an advisor to early-stage entrepreneurs, and a regular speaker at security conferences around the world.
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