The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has granted nearly $3.6 million in cooperative agreements to bolster the cybersecurity workforce, aiming to counter the escalating threat of cyberattacks.
Announced on April 3, NIST revealed that 18 education and community-focused organizations across 15 states will receive grants averaging $200,000 each. These funds are intended to address the shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals and safeguard businesses against cyber risks.
Overseen by NICE (National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education), a collaborative effort involving government, academia, and private entities, these cooperative agreements mark a concerted multisectoral approach.
Laurie E. Locascio, Director of NIST, emphasized the significance of this investment in bridging a critical gap in the cybersecurity workforce. She stressed that the nation’s economic and national security hinge on a highly skilled workforce capable of defending against the mounting cyber threats.
According to the CyberSeek tool funded by NICE, the local cybersecurity job market witnessed approximately 450,000 job openings in the past year. However, there were only 82 qualified workers available for every 100 cybersecurity job openings, underscoring the urgency of initiatives like this.
Data from Statista indicates a concerning trend, with reported cases of private data exposure for U.S. government entities increasing from 74 to at least 100 in 2023. These breaches impacted the private data of approximately 15 million individuals. The Consumer Sentinel Network reported that in the same year, over 353 million individuals were affected by data breaches.
Furthermore, the FBI’s Internet Crime Report noted a 10% increase in cybercrime complaints in 2023, totaling 880,418 complaints. The projected total cost of damage caused by cybercrime is estimated to reach $10.5 trillion by 2025.
NIST’s award recipients will collaborate to establish the Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate (RAMPS) cybersecurity education and workforce development initiatives. These efforts will involve aligning with local businesses and nonprofits to meet the demand for a skilled cybersecurity workforce.
In addition to this initiative, NIST led the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Institute consortium in November last year in response to an executive order on AI safety policies issued by the Biden administration.