Maryland funds cybersecurity training at community colleges

Maryland last week awarded $1.8 million to the training center BCR Cyber and the Maryland Association of Community Colleges to bolster the state’s cybersecurity talent pipeline.

The funding will allow all 16 community colleges in the state to offer cybersecurity training through new cyber ranges, virtual environments for training, testing and research that simulate real-world networks and cyberattacks.

The announcement follows a report from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers finding that state and local governments often lack digital literacy programs and modern technology infrastructure, which contributes to poor cybersecurity knowledge across government agencies.

“Maryland’s pathway to national leadership in cybersecurity runs through our community colleges,” Gov. Wes Moore said last Thursday at the ribbon cutting ceremony at Howard Community College. “Today marks the latest chapter in our work to make Maryland the cyber capital of the United States and connect all Marylanders with the training they need to compete for jobs of tomorrow.”

Maryland isn’t the only state investing in cybersecurity training programs to strengthen its cyber workforce. In 2016, Virginia launched the Virginia Cyber Range to increase cybersecurity education for students in the state’s public high schools, colleges, and universities.

Last September, the National Institute of Technology published a guide for private and public sector organizations about cyber ranges, which the institute said can help address the cybersecurity workforce gap by providing specialized education and hands-on training.

“Traditional education and training models fall short in addressing the cybersecurity skills gap,” the guide states. “Cyber ranges offer the necessary technology to effectively implement, assess, and track the training and performance of cybersecurity professionals.”