Adrian Johnson
TLDR:
Investing in cybersecurity workforce is crucial for national security. Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure systems have raised alarms. With almost 40,000 public sector cybersecurity positions unfilled, efforts are falling short. Kirsten Gillibrand has established a Cyber Service Academy scholarship program to attract new cybersecurity professionals through free college in exchange for public service. The program aims to create a pipeline of cybersecurity workers and make cyber-related educations more accessible, especially for underrepresented communities.
Training the Next Generation of Cyber Experts
In an age of increasing cyber threats, the need to invest in cybersecurity workforce is crucial for national security. Recent cyberattacks on critical infrastructure systems have highlighted the vulnerabilities in the nation’s cybersecurity defenses.
In 2022, nearly 40,000 public sector cybersecurity positions remained unfilled, indicating a significant shortage of cybersecurity professionals across federal, state, and local governments. The aging workforce in the tech sector also poses a challenge, with roughly half of federal employees in computer science, computer engineering, and IT positions being age 50 or older.
To address this shortage and attract a new generation of cybersecurity professionals, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has initiated a Cyber Service Academy scholarship program. The program offers free college education in exchange for a service obligation in federal cyber roles.
Selected students are required to work for the Department of Defense or the Intelligence Community for a minimum of one year for each year of scholarship support they receive. By creating a pipeline of cybersecurity workers through the scholarship program, Gillibrand aims to bolster national security and safeguard critical infrastructure systems.
The Cyber Service Academy program, currently offered at approximately 200 colleges and universities across the country including 11 institutions in New York, is expanding to provide cybersecurity-related jobs across the federal government. The goal is to make cyber-related educations and careers more accessible to everyone, especially students from underrepresented communities and those with foreign language abilities.
Through this initiative, Kirsten Gillibrand is working to address the urgent need for cybersecurity professionals and ensure the safety and security of innocent Americans in the face of evolving cyber threats.
