“Technology and humanity are intertwined. Technology itself does not have a value system; rather, it carries the values of its owners and operators.” And cybersecurity is no exception because it doesn’t just require successful technology and protocols. It requires exceptional people in the workforce.
The above statement comes from the White House, which released a first-of-its-kind government plan on Monday that aims to meet the growing demand for cybersecurity professionals. For instance, states like California and Texas have as many as 50,000 job openings in cybersecurity, according to data from Cyberseek, an organization that tracks vacancies in the field.
“We must drastically scale up our cyber skills to deliver this future, keep America secure, and ignite the next generation of American innovation,” the document reads.
As such, the plan outlines several strategic objectives that outline exactly how the government plans to bolster the pipeline into the profession, including transforming cyber education.
Traditionally, this responsibility has rested in the hands of educators. However, that will soon change.
“The future of cyber education includes theoretical and applied learning skills needed to succeed in cyber careers,” the plan reads. “Cyber education and training opportunities should be aligned with the cognitive and technical capacities of an individual over the course of a lifetime.”
Here are four primary ways the federal government plans to improve cyber education:
Build and leverage ecosystems
Education systems will be able to meet workforce demands through various partnerships. Stakeholders should consider best practices when engaging with development agencies and workforce development systems, for example, to mentor students. Here’s what the White House says you can expect from them in this regard:
- Expanding and supporting cyber education ecosystems
- Increasing engagement in cyber education programs
- Integrating cybersecurity across disciplines to prepare the workforce
- Protecting learning in safe and secure learning environments
More from DA: Roughly 10% left the principalship during the 2021-22 school year. Why?
Expand competency-based cyber education
“Cyber skills acquisition is a lifelong endeavor,” according to the document. “Learners will build on foundational cyber skills as they gain occupation-specific and industry-specific cyber skills.”
These are the government’s lines of effort to achieve this goal:
- Focusing on federal cyber education investments for developing learning resources consistent with stages of cognitive development
- Enhancing applied cyber content in interdisciplinary education programs
- Increasing availability of curricula for education programs
- Increasing concurrent and transferrable credit opportunities
- Expanding innovative models for academic credit
Invest in educators
While bolstering the cyber security workforce shouldn’t rely solely on our educators, they need proper support in building the next generation of cyber professionals. To do so, the White House plans to:
- Increase cyber teaching capacity of K12 systems and postsecondary institutions
- Establish a national cyber educator fellowship program
- Increase enrollment in advanced degree programs
- Increase participation in advanced degree programs
- Encourage interdisciplinary approaches to teaching cyber
- Incorporate education and training into career pathways
- Expand opportunities to earn credits for experiential learning
- Establish and support national cyber award programs for schools and teachers
Increase affordability and accessibility to cyber education
To ensure every student has sufficient access to cybersecurity education, several barriers to entry must first be removed, particularly among underrepresented and underserved communities. Here’s what will happen:
- Enhance the workforce pipeline in underrepresented communities
- Increase access to learning opportunities and culturally connected cyber content
- Improve the participation of students and teachers in scholarship programs
- Incorporate instruction into public programs that serve local communities
“The strategy aims to foster extensive collaboration between employers, educators, government and other key stakeholders to meet both urgent and long-term workforce needs.”
