The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced today that it has awarded grants totaling nearly $1 million to five projects that will promote cybersecurity training and education in order to address the need for a larger cybersecurity workforce.
“The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education grants support job-driven training programs designed to fill the many cybersecurity job openings in both the public and private sectors,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. “As part of Commerce’s ‘Skills for Business’ initiative, these grants strengthen regional workforce partnerships that engage employers to close the gap between talent supply and demand in this critically important high-growth field.”
The grants will go to five nonprofit organizations to create the program titled Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate Cybersecurity and Workforce Development (RAMPS). The organizations receiving funding are the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE), Old Dominion University, State University of New York at Albany, Chicanos Por La Causa, and Pikes Peak Community College.
The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), which partners government, academia, and the private sector, will oversee the grants.
“NICE supports local community efforts to leverage regional assets in cybersecurity education, training, and workforce development,” NICE Director Rodney Petersen said. “The RAMPS projects can serve as models for other regions.”
The awardees will provide detailed information about their grant-funded projects at the NICE 2016 Conference and Expo Nov. 1-2.
