The White House Has Four Keys To Improving Cybersecurity
Never Too Late: The US Government has a plan to to improve cybersecurity across the board.
The US Government's new Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Strategy aims to position the government as an "employer of choice" for cybersecurity professionals that "offers rewarding, unique, and dynamic careers that rival opportunities anywhere else in the world."
The plan focuses on four initiatives to add to the government's cybersecurity workforce.
1. Expanding the cybersecurity workforce through education and training.
The Cybersecurity National Action Plan recommends investing $62 million in fiscal year 2017 toward expanding cybersecurity education. Programs like the CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service program, which provides scholarships for students specializing in cybersecurity, can bring more cybersecurity workers into the government workforce.
2. Recruiting the nation's best cyber talent.
The strategy plans to partner with agencies to "streamline hiring practices … and leverage existing hiring authorities, as appropriate, to quickly bring on new talent," according to a White House blog post.
3. Retaining and developing highly skilled talent.
Federal agencies and OPM will create growth paths for cybersecurity professionals. Also, a government-wide cybersecurity orientation program will be created. These changes are meant to keep government cybersecurity professionals working and happy.
4. Identifying cybersecurity workforce needs.
The strategy asks agencies to take a new approach to determining their needs, using a framework developed by partner agencies of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education.
The new initiative was created following the creation of the Cybersecurity National Action Plan, or CNAP, earlier this year. CNAP "puts in place a long-term strategy that builds on other cybersecurity efforts while calling for innovation and investments in cybersecurity education and training to strengthen the cybersecurity talent pipeline," the White House blog states.
Association for Talent Development:
