President Donald Trump yesterday signed an executive order directing agencies to take steps to boost America’s cybersecurity workforce and address the talent pipeline gap.
Under the Cybersecurity Workforce Executive Order, the Department of Homeland Security will work with federal partners on several efforts to bolster the workforce. The agency will develop the newly announced Federal Cybersecurity Rotational Program, whose goal is to help civilian cybersecurity professionals gain relevant experience by enabling them to work across government.
DHS will spearhead the planning of the President’s Cup Cybersecurity Competition and “challenge and reward the best federal and military cybersecurity professionals,” the agency said.
DHS will also work with other agencies to find and reduce skill gaps specific to critical infrastructure and defense cybersecurity through development of appropriate training curricula. The agency will also encourage the set up of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education to support training and workforce development nationwide.