NIST awards 3.6M for cybersecurity workforce development
The National Institute of Standards and Technology on Wednesday announced it’s awarding nearly $3.6 million to 18 education and community organizations across 15 states in an effort to combat the nation’s shortage of skilled cybersecurity employees.
Between January 2023 to January 2024, there were nearly 450,000 cybersecurity jobs available in the U.S., according to the CyberSeek tool, which aggregates cybersecurity job market data. However, for every 100 cybersecurity job openings, only 82 workers had the necessary education, experience and qualifications to fill them.
The full list of grant recipients can be found on NIST’s website.
“Our economic and national security depend on a highly skilled workforce capable of defending against ever-increasing cyber threats,” NIST Director Laurie Locascio said in a press release. “By investing in our cybersecurity workforce, we are not just filling a critical gap. We are creating a future where Americans have access to the training they need to secure high-quality, good-paying jobs.”
According to a recent report by the Center for Internet Security, Organizations without established cybersecurity protocols cited a “limited access to cybersecurity professionals” as among the challenges they face. The report also found that cyberattacks on state and local governments increased from 2022 to 2023.
NICE, a NIST subdivision that promotes cybersecurity education and workforce development, will oversee the grant program, distributing approximately $200,000 to each organization aimed at building a stronger, cybersecurity-proficient workforce, according to the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity.
