On May 2, President Trump issued an executive order on America's cybersecurity workforce. The order is wide-ranging, but includes several workforce-related components. Parts of the order closely mirror legislation from the co-chairs of the House CTE Caucus, Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn Thompson (R-PA). Their bill, H.R. 1592, the Cybersecurity Skills Integration Act, establishes a pilot program through which grants are provided to incorporate cybersecurity education into postsecondary CTE programs to meet workforce needs in critical infrastructure fields. The executive order, among other things, does the following:
- Notes that America's cybersecurity workforce is a "strategic asset" that "promote[s] American prosperity and preserve[s] peace."
- States the government "must support the development of cybersecurity skills."
- Acknowledges the "shortage of cybersecurity talent and capability," and says that "training opportunities, such as work-based learning, apprenticeships, and blended learning approaches" are needed.
- Orders the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of Homeland Security to "identify a list of cybersecurity aptitude assessments" for federal agencies to use.
- Requires the Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Homeland Security and Secretary of Education to execute recommendations from the Report to the President on Supporting the Growth and Sustainment of the Nation's Cybersecurity Workforce from a 2017 Executive Order. As part of this, consultation with various stakeholders is required, and consideration will be given to, among other things, "align[ing] education and training with employers' cybersecurity workforce needs."
- Directs the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary of Labor and Director of the Office of Personnel Management to report on, among other things, recommended "curricula for closing the identified skills gap for Federal personnel and steps the [U.S.] government can take to close such gaps for non-Federal personnel by, for example, supporting the development of similar curricula by education or training providers."
- Mandates the Secretary of Education develop and implement an annual "Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award" to "one elementary and one secondary school educator per year who best instill skills, knowledge, and passion with respect to cybersecurity."
- Asks the Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Education and Secretary of Homeland Security to encourage the voluntary integration of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education Cybersecurity Workforce Framework (NICE Framework) "into existing education, training, and workforce development efforts undertaken by State, territorial, local, tribal, academic, non-profit and private-sector entities."
You can read the executive order in its entirety here.
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