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GAITHERSBURG, Md. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded cooperative agreements totaling nearly $3.6 million aimed at building the workforce needed to safeguard enterprises from cybersecurity risks. The grants of roughly $200,000 each will go to 18 education and community organizations in 15 states that are working to address the nation’s shortage of skilled cybersecurity employees.
The cooperative agreements will be overseen by NICE, a NIST-led partnership between government, academia and the private sector focused on cybersecurity education, training and workforce development.
“Our economic and national security depend on a highly skilled workforce capable of defending against ever-increasing cyber threats,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Laurie E. Locascio. “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.”
The NICE-funded CyberSeek tool, which analyzes data about the cybersecurity job market, found that there were nearly 450,000 cybersecurity job openings in the U.S. between January 2023 and January 2024. Only 82 workers were available to fill every 100 cybersecurity job openings in the U.S. during this time.
The organizations receiving the awards will build Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate (RAMPS) cybersecurity education and workforce development. These RAMPS projects will align the workforce needs of local business and nonprofit organizations with the goals of the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity.
NIST is currently acce ..
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