GAITHERSBURG, Md. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded cooperative agreements totaling nearly $3 million aimed at developing the workforce needed to defend the nation’s organizations and infrastructure from cybersecurity risks. The grants of roughly $200,000 each will go to 15 education and community organizations in 11 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 development of a diverse workforce.
“To strengthen our national and economic security, we need 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 help fill a critical workforce need while giving people the skills they need to succeed in good-paying, high-quality jobs.”
The NICE-funded CyberSeek tool, which analyzes data about the cybersecurity job market, found that there were nearly 470,000 cybersecurity job openings in the U.S. between May 2023 and April 2024. Roughly 85 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 NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity.
“The RAMPS program provides individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences and life circumstances access to cybersecu ..
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