President Trump today issued an executive order directing the creation of various programs to help eliminate the cybersecurity labor shortage, promote cybersecurity work within the government and encourage widespread adoption of the cybersecurity workforce framework created by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE).
The order is designed to create a cybersecurity focused environment in government offices through new educational and promotional efforts.
These efforts will help federal leaders identify those individuals in their departments who show potential as cybersecurity workers and who can be retrained to work in the field. This will be accomplished through aptitude assessments and utilizing the NICE framework to identify, recruit, develop and retain cybersecurity talent.
Another program will enable federal employees to further develop and broaden their cybersecurity skills by being temporarily reassigned to other agencies. And, to give help promote cybersecurity among federal agencies the order establishes the President’s Cup Cybersecurity Competition, although details on this were not given.
The order also includes efforts outside the government, including the establishment of the Presidential Cybersecurity Education Awards, recognizing excellent elementary and secondary school educators teaching cybersecurity-related content.
“Government and private-sector action is urgently needed to grow and sustain our cybersecurity workforce, which is a strategic asset to our country. More than 300,000 cybersecurity job vacancies exist in America and it is critical for our economy and security that they be filled,” the Executive Order stated.
