Many of the half-million cybersecurity job openings are going begging because college computer science graduates often lack the needed skills and hands-on experience, House Research and Technology Chair Haley Stevens (D-MI) asserted today.
She added the nation’s education system is further exacerbating the problem because few high school students have any exposure to computer science in the classroom, let alone cybersecurity.
Another reason for the cybersecurity workforce abyss Stevens pointed to is a lack of women in the profession.
“The cybersecurity field as a whole lacks diversity, even more so than many other STEM fields. The math is simple: Last year, women accounted for only 20 percent of the global cybersecurity workforce,” she noted.
Aggrieved women of color in cybersecurity jobs make on average $10,000 less than their male counterparts, Congressman Stevens contended: “We cannot address our current and future cybersecurity workforce needs without recruiting and retaining more women and minorities into the field.”
The Representative said multiple pathways to careers in cybersecurity are essential to fill the gap including certification programs and apprenticeships.
As an example, she pointed to a cybersecurity certification program that has just begun in her district to train adults with disabilities.
The offering is the result of a new partnership between Cisco and the Michigan Career & Technical Institute Living & Learning Enrichment Center in Northville, roughly 30 miles west of Detroit.
At a cybersecurity workforce hearing led by Stevens, National Initiative for Cyber Security Education Director Rodney Petersen asserted there is a need to emphasize the multidisciplinary nature of cybersecurity and the multiple career pathways to careers in the field, not just a four-year education.
IBM Security and Enterprise and Technology Security Human Resources Director Sonya Miller told the session the U.S. education system is not producing candidates with relevant “soft skills” or even the technical skills for jobs in the cybersecurity space except from a narrow swath of students.
While community colleges are expanding their offerings, she said fewer than 30 percent offer a cybersecurity degree certificate or course.
Miller explained additional education pathways can provide cybersecurity opportunities to the two-thirds of the country that haven’t graduated with a bachelor’s degree.
She pointed to IBM’s New Collar pathway to finding and attracting nontraditional candidates with diverse backgrounds and skill sets approach by focusing on skills instead of degrees earned emphasizing work-based learning and core skills like teaming and adaptability.
Miller urged Congress to take a role in opening cybersecurity jobs to people without four-year degrees by allowing Pell grant recipients to use the money for shorter education programs that lead to certifications.
“Under existing law, students who need short-term programs of 150 to 600 hours length in order to get certifications are required to sign up for longer education programs or forgo federal financial assistance,” the IBM HR executive said.
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February 12, 2020 at 02:42AM
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Cybersecurity Jobs Going Begging As College Computer Science Grads Lack Skills/Experience Says House Leader - Forbes
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