Legislation introduced in the Senate last week would charge the White House’s National Cyber Director (NCD) with developing a plan to create a Federal government cyber workforce training center.
The Federal Cyber Workforce Training Act – introduced by Sens. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. – passed the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Wednesday on a vote of 10-1 with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the single “no” vote. The bill will now move to the Senate floor in September following lawmakers’ return from August recess.
The senators said on July 26 that their bill aims to accomplish at least the planning necessary “to establish an institute within the federal government to serve as a centralized resource and training center for federal cyber workforce development.”
While the language of the bill says that the institute would prioritize early-career new hires, it also would support mid-career Federal workers moving to new jobs within the government.
“Cybersecurity is involved in every aspect of the federal government and continues to rapidly evolve,” said Sen. Rounds, who serves as the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Cybersecurity. “We can’t simply keep up with this evolution, we must be ahead of the curve. Being proactive in training our federal cyber workforce will help the United States bolster cybersecurity across all agencies of the federal government.”
Those in the proposed institute’s program would partake in “modularized cyber work role-specific training” that the bill states would include hands-on learning and skill-based assessments. The curriculum would be developed in coordination with other agencies including the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense based on each Federal agency’s needs.
In addition to providing training and resources, the bill states that the institute would “consider developing a specific module” to train Federal hiring managers and human resources staff in the “unique challenges” in recruiting and hiring cyber workforce roles.
The legislation also calls for a badging system that would signify the completion and proficiency of employees in the program, and in-person and virtual options to complete the program. It also would provide training to all employees regardless of college graduate status or having a degree in a “cyber-related discipline.”
“Strong cybersecurity is a necessity to protect families and businesses from threats and bad actors,” said Sen. Ossoff. “That’s why Senator Rounds and I are introducing this new bipartisan bill to help ensure we have the workforce we need to protect families and businesses from cyber threats.”
The bill has been referred to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and does not appear to have a House companion measure.
