House Science Members Seek Ways to Increase Cybersecurity Workforce

House Science Research and Technology Subcommittee members eyed beefing up the U.S. cybersecurity workforce, during a Tuesday hearing. Science Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, noted interest in moving additional cybersecurity-focused legislation “this year.” She said the National Institute of Standards and Technology remains “the right agency to continue to lead efforts" here. “Technology alone will not mitigate the many" cyber risks, Johnson said. “Educate and train individuals in cybersecurity at all levels, and it requires not just degrees but different types of certifications as well as continuing education." The public should "be well-educated about cyber hygiene, starting in our elementary schools.” Research and Technology Chairwoman Haley Stevens, D-Mich., cited a NIST National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) finding that “nearly one in three cybersecurity jobs go unfilled.” That's partly due to lack of even basic cybersecurity skills training in schools, though there are “multiple pathways to careers in cybersecurity,” Stevens said. The field “lacks diversity” and “we cannot address our current and future cybersecurity workforce needs without recruiting and retaining more women and minorities.” Subcommittee ranking member Jim Baird, R-Ind., touted the recently filed Securing American Leadership in Science and Technology Act. He said HR-5685 “makes strategic investments in cybersecurity research and development across federal science agencies.” NICE Director Rodney Petersen said the program is noticing a “need to enhance cybersecurity career discovery for learners of all ages, transform the learning process to emphasize the multidisciplinary nature of cybersecurity and the multiple career pathways." He noted the National Council for the American Worker is creating the “first ever national workforce strategy.” The strategy “is promoting the importance of multiple pathways to careers (not just a 4-year university education), the essential role of employers as part of our national education and workforce system, the need for companies to employ skill-based hiring and the need for greater transparency in the skills that companies need and the return on investment of different educational pathways,” Petersen said. IBM Enterprise and Technology Security division Human Resources Director Sonya Miller urged Congress to pass the Harvesting American Cybersecurity Knowledge through Education Act. S-2775 would create a White House Office of Science and Technology Policy working group to coordinate federal cybersecurity workforce training. It would direct NIST to develop “standards and guidelines for improving the cybersecurity workforce for an agency” (see 1911050061). Tennessee Tech University Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center Director Ambareen Siraj urged more funding for several federal scholarship and workforce development programs, and supporting “nontraditional pathways” into the industry. Merit Network CEO Joseph Sawasky said federal and state governments should develop “the talent pipeline” early, and government should encourage cyberskills development “for under-represented groups.”