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Cybersecurity becomes more essential to our economy and our critical infrastructure – like financial institutions, personal data, and even our elections – everyday. As the demand for cybersecurity workers grows to meet these threats, the President is committed to seeing a more inclusive, robust, and skilled workforce to protect our personal and national interests.
On July 19th at the National Cyber Workforce and Education Summit, the Administration gathered Cabinet Secretaries and major companies to discuss ways to improve pathways into this critical sector, and announced the start of its Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Sprint. Today marks the finish line of the Sprint, an initiative run by the U.S. Department of Labor in coordination with the White House Office of the National Cyber Director, Departments of Commerce, Homeland Security, Defense, and other federal agencies. An event held today at the White House as part of National Apprenticeship Week and the celebration of the 85th Anniversary of the National Apprenticeship Act, public and private sector leaders will showcase the accomplishments of DOL’s 120-Day Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Sprint, and discuss lessons learned, best practices, and paths forward. The event will include 1) remarks from senior White House and agency officials on the importance of Registered Apprenticeship in building a skilled and diverse cybersecurity workforce and the accomplishments of the Sprint; 2) a moderated panel discussion highlighting progress and advantages of building cybersecurity talent using Registered Apprenticeship programs; 3) apprentice spotlight; and 4) signing ceremony of representatives from new programs involving several employers and education organizations.
This effort has once again demonstrated overwhelming potential and success in promoting Registered Apprenticeships. The Sprint was rooted in the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to expand Registered Apprenticeships, a proven earn-while-you-learn model that aims to build a pipeline of skilled workers with a focus on underserved communities. According to CyberSeek.org, the cybersecurity market grew at 2.4 times the rates of the rest of the job market in the last year. This leaves nearly 770,000 open cybersecurity positions at all career levels. The nation’s economic and national security is dependent on solving this workforce challenge and employers are turning to Registered Apprenticeships to meet this critical workforce needs.
Major Achievements of Biden Effort to Expand and Improve Cybersecurity Jobs:
The largest cybersecurity Registered Apprenticeship program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)’s United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP). Under the umbrella of DoD’s USMAP, DoD and DOL partnered to establish the first Federal Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program in January 2022. Since inception, DOD identified and developed standards for 15 critical cybersecurity occupations to not only address military needs, but potentially serve as a model for other Federal agencies as well. All 15 have been finalized and approved, 10 of which were approved during the Sprint. DOL and DOD are working to finalize the remaining occupational standards over the next several weeks.
Furthermore, the DOD issued a memo – jointly signed by the Chief Information Officer and the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Sustainment – aimed at expanding the cybersecurity workforce by encouraging the use of Registered Apprenticeship programs. These efforts will help DOD and the Defense Industrial Base continue to identify, recruit, develop, and retain the cybersecurity workforce in order to support the Nation’s efforts to defend against current and future cyber threats and attacks.
New Program Highlights
As a direct result of the Sprint, the following employers, Federal Agencies, and other organizations have accomplished the following to meet their critical cybersecurity workforce needs, many in partnership with DOL industry intermediaries AIR, Apprenti, and Safal Partners:
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The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500