The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) released a report outlining best practices in building the cybersecurity workforce through regional partnerships.
With over 300,000 open cybersecurity-related positions in the United States from September 2017 through August 2018, according to CyberSeek.org, NIST is looking to fill the gap.
In September 2016, the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, led by NIST, awarded funding for five pilot programs for Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Development.
The awards went to the following programs: the Partnership to Advance Cybersecurity Education and Training in New York, the Cincinnati-Dayton Cyber Corridor in Ohio, the Cyber Prep Program at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado, the Hampton Roads Cybersecurity Education, Workforce and Economic Development Alliance in Virginia and the Arizona Statewide Cyber Workforce Consortium, based in Phoenix, Ariz.
The report, which includes a summary of the work and accomplishments from each of the programs, concludes by stating there is no one right way to build a regional alliance. The act of having an organization in a convener role, the report states, can help cybersecurity workforce development in a region and lead to national impact.
