"CISA Awards $2 Million to Bring Cybersecurity Training to Rural Communities and Diverse Populations"
The U.S. Homeland Security Department's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) awarded $2 million to NPower and CyberWarrior in support of the development of cyber workforce training programs. The two organizations will focus on unemployed, underemployed, and underserved communities in urban and rural areas. They will also focus on commonly underserved populations, including veterans, military spouses, women, and people of color. The awards are part of CISA's mission to recruit diverse cybersecurity talent and build a skilled workforce. They are also the first of their kind to be given by CISA. The CISA Director Jen Easterly pointed out that addressing the cyber workforce shortage requires proactively searching and fostering prospective talent from nontraditional places. NPower and CyberWarrior will work with CISA to develop a scalable and replicable proof-of-concept program that identifies and trains talented individuals in cybersecurity. The three-year pilot program will develop and implement a comprehensive cybersecurity pathways retention strategy, deliver entry-level cybersecurity training via innovative training hubs, place talented individuals into entry-level cybersecurity jobs to decrease the cyber workforce shortage, and more. This article continues to discuss CISA's latest workforce development effort that aims to benefit communities and populations that may not currently have access to cybersecurity training programs.