Simone Petrella is joined by Camille Stewart Gloster, the Deputy National Cyber Director at the White House, to discuss the recently released National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy. The strategy is built around four pillars: equipping every American with foundational cyber skills, transforming cyber education, enhancing the national cyber workforce, and strengthening the federal cyber workforce. The strategy contains a comprehensive set of short-term, medium-term, and long-term objectives.
Camille emphasizes that the strategy is a collaborative effort that takes into account the perspectives and challenges of various stakeholders in the digital ecosystem. The team worked with 34 different federal agencies and over 200 organizations to understand the complexities of the workforce deficit and devise effective solutions.
The three imperatives highlighted in the strategy are diversity, skills, and building ecosystems. The aim is to get all stakeholders involved in addressing the workforce challenge and creating a thriving cyber workforce. The strategy calls for diversity by including rural communities, veterans, people of color, and other underrepresented groups in the cybersecurity industry. It also emphasizes the importance of foundational cyber skills for every American, as well as occupation-specific skills for those interested in cyber careers. Finally, the strategy proposes building regional and local ecosystems that tailor to the needs of the community and provide feedback for training, education, and employment opportunities.
Simone acknowledges the challenges of having numerous stakeholders involved in implementing the strategy. She asks Camille about the critical factors for its success. Camille emphasizes the importance of everyone taking ownership of the strategy’s implementation. While the federal government can provide funding and support, it is the responsibility of the private sector, academia, state and local governments, and nonprofit partners to drive implementation. The strategy provides the framework, but it is up to all stakeholders to take action.
Camille mentions that the implementation roadshow has already begun, with the team visiting different regions and locales to engage in dialogue about ecosystem support. This includes working with academia, the private sector, and state and local governments to understand their needs and support the development of a strong cyber workforce. The goal is to ensure that individuals have access to well-paying jobs in the cyber workforce.
Simone appreciates the strategy’s emphasis on industry responsibility and distinguishes it from other past executive orders on education and workforce in cybersecurity. She notes that the strategy is comprehensive in addressing the challenges and setting forth a roadmap for success.
Overall, the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy aims to equip Americans with the necessary cyber skills, transform education, improve the national and federal cyber workforce, and foster collaboration among various stakeholders. It is a collaborative effort that relies on the active participation of all industry players to ensure its successful implementation.