National Cyber Director Harry Coker announced a new toolkit to help build and strengthen cybersecurity ecosystems during an event at Hinds Community College in Mississippi on Monday.
The Cyber Workforce and Education Ecosystem Toolkit provides targeted recommendations for how to forge connections between employers, academia, non-profits, government, and other stakeholders to foster strong cyber talent pipelines.
“Today, I am proud to announce the publication of the Office of the National Cyber Director’s Cyber Workforce and Education Ecosystem Toolkit, which features what we have learned from these trips and best practices we hope to see be adopted in ecosystems all around the country,” said Director Coker. “This cyber ecosystem toolkit will help communities that are earlier in their journey of building the connections and best practices that set their students up become cyber workers, so they are able to have good-paying, meaningful jobs at home, including here in Mississippi.”
The toolkit provides a checklist of more than 40 actions across seven sections:
- Engage your local community;
- Connect with stakeholders;
- Develop a plan;
- Secure resources;
- Implement your plan;
- Share your progress; and
- Expand the ecosystem.
Action items in the toolkit include identifying active cyber employers in the community and seeking out strategic partnerships with industry.
According to ONCD, the toolkit is for “anyone who wants to develop or expand their local offerings and contribute to national efforts in cybersecurity.”
The document notes that the ecosystem approach is not a new idea, and points users to cyber workforce and education ecosystem examples in the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy released in July 2023.
“These examples can serve as models to emulate and may provide you with valuable insights and inspiration as you spark, support, and scale your cyber workforce and education ecosystem,” the toolkit says.
