The U.S. Department of Commerce, through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has signed cooperative agreements totaling approximately $3 million aimed at developing the workforce needed to protect the nation’s organizations and infrastructure from cybersecurity risks. Approximately $200,000 in grants will be awarded to 15 educational and community organizations in 11 states that are working to address the nation’s skilled cybersecurity workforce shortage.
The cooperative agreement will be overseen by NICE, a NIST-led government, academia, and private sector partnership focused on cybersecurity education, training, and developing a diverse workforce.
The winning organizations will build Regional Alliances and Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships (RAMPS) that advance cybersecurity education and workforce development. These RAMPS projects will align the workforce needs of local businesses and nonprofits with the NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework.
“The RAMPS program provides access to cybersecurity careers for individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and life circumstances,” NICE Director Rodney Petersen said in a media statement. “It also helps communities work together to create career pathways to good jobs for all Americans and contributes to economic development by addressing workforce needs on a local and regional scale.”
“Strengthening our nation and economy’s security requires a highly skilled and talented cybersecurity workforce,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Laurie E. LoCascio. “This investment in cybersecurity education and training will fill a critical workforce need while equipping people with the skills they need to succeed in high-paying, high-quality jobs.”
Many RAMPS projects facilitate curriculum development, education and training at the high school, college or professional level. Others support work-based learning experiences in the form of internships, apprenticeships or projects. Still others support workshops, bootcamps, competitions and hackathons.
With this latest award, there are now 33 RAMPS communities in 20 states.
NIST released details about the winners, regions and amounts awarded: Adventurous Minds Produce Extraordinary Dreams Inc. in Louisville, Kentucky, received $199,670; The Coding School in the New York City and Westchester County area received $200,000; Del Mar College District in Corpus Christi, Texas, received $200,000; The Escal Institute of Advanced Technologies Inc. in North Bethesda, Maryland, received $199,700; Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland, received $200,000; and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments in Washington, DC, received $195,726.
The foundation also awarded $199,850 to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio; $199,982 to Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Illinois; $200,000 to New York University in New York City, New York; $200,000 to the Old Dominion University Research Foundation in Norfolk, Virginia; $199,717 to Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana; $200,000 to the CUNY Research Foundation on behalf of Lehman College in the Bronx, New York; $198,000 to the Sierra College Foundation in Rocklin, California; $199,999 to the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida; and $194,270 to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia.
The NICE-funded CyberSeek tool, which analyzes data on the cybersecurity job market, found that there are approximately 470,000 cybersecurity-related jobs available in the U.S. between May 2023 and April 2024. During this period, there were approximately 85 workers available in the U.S. for every 100 cybersecurity jobs.
This week, the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee introduced the Providing Individuals with Diverse Technical Training Opportunities (PIVOTT), a bill building on the Skills-Based Cyber Workforce Act of 2024, to address the government’s cyber talent shortage and create a pathway for 10,000 new cyber professionals.
Anna Ribeiro
Industry Cyber News Editor. Anna Ribeiro is a freelance journalist with over 14 years of experience in the fields of security, data storage, virtualization and IoT.
