The United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has allocated nearly $3.6 million in cooperative agreements to bolster the cybersecurity workforce and protect businesses against cyber threats.
NIST announced on April 3 that 18 education and community-focused organizations across 15 states will receive grants of approximately $200,000 each to address the shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals.
The cooperative agreements will be overseen by NICE (National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education), a partnership involving government, academia, and private entities.
Laurie E. Locascio, director of NIST, emphasized that the investment aims to fill a “critical gap” in the cybersecurity workforce to safeguard economic and national security against evolving cyber threats.
Despite around 450,000 cybersecurity job openings in the past year, NIST highlighted that there were only 82 available workers for every 100 job openings, underscoring the urgency of the initiative.
Statistics reveal a surge in cyber threats, with an increasing number of data breaches affecting millions of individuals and organizations. The FBI reported a 10% rise in cybercrime complaints in 2023, reflecting the escalating cyber threat landscape.
NIST’s award grantees will collaborate on the Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate (RAMPS) cybersecurity education and workforce development. This initiative aims to align with local businesses and nonprofits in need of cybersecurity talent.
In addition to workforce development, NIST led efforts to establish an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Institute consortium in response to the Biden administration’s executive order on AI safety policies, demonstrating its commitment to addressing emerging technological challenges.
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