The National Institute of Standards and Technology announced Wednesday that it will donate nearly $3.6 million to 18 education and community organizations in 15 states to address the nation's shortage of skilled cybersecurity employees.
According to the CyberSeek tool, which aggregates cybersecurity job market data, there were approximately 450,000 cybersecurity job openings in the United States between January 2023 and January 2024. However, for every 100 cybersecurity jobs, only 82 people had the education, experience, and qualifications needed to fill them.
A complete list of grant recipients is available on the NIST website.
“Our economy and national security depend on a highly skilled workforce that can defend against a growing number of cyber threats,” NIST Director Laurie LoCascio said in a press release. “By investing in cybersecurity talent, we are not only filling a critical gap. We are building a future where Americans have access to the training they need to secure high-quality, well-paying jobs. I am creating.”
A recent report by the Center for Internet Security cites “limited access to cybersecurity experts” as one of the challenges organizations without established cybersecurity protocols face. The report also found that cyberattacks against state and local governments increased from 2022 to 2023.
According to the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity, NICE, the division of NIST that promotes cybersecurity education and workforce development, oversees the grant program to help build a stronger, cybersecurity-skilled workforce. Approximately $200,000 will be distributed to each targeted organization.
