On July 21, 2022, the White House released a "Fact Sheet" summarizing progress made
during a National Cyber Workforce and Education Summit. The Fact
Sheet also announced several initiatives being taken by the
Biden-Harris Administration as well as by for-profit and
not-for-profit businesses. Businesses should consider taking
advantage of the initiatives, which offer federally-supported,
free, and/or reduced-cost tools for improving cybersecurity.
120-Day Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Sprint. Of
perhaps most interest is a cross-agency-sponsored Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Sprint. For 120
days (ending in mid-November), businesses are encouraged to work
with the Department of Labor, the National Initiative for
Cybersecurity Education, and pre-existing apprenticeship programs
to hire cybersecurity apprentices.
The apprentices receive paid employment and
on-the-job training while completing academic courses. As part of
the program, employers commit to a wage progression as the
apprentice gains new skills.In return, employers develop a pipeline to hire and
retain a skilled, productive, and diverse workforce that tends to
be more stable. For example, one case study suggests that 93% of apprentices
will accept full-time employment with their employer
post-apprenticeship, and another suggests that post-apprenticeship
employees turnover with less frequency than non-apprentices.
Apprenticeship programs have succeeded at large businesses like
Accenture, which announced in the Fact Sheet its plans to hire 20% of its
entry-level roles directly from its apprenticeship program.
Employers have the option to leverage already
established programs or create their own. Two apprenticeship
programs already exist in Wisconsin, conducted by the MKE Tech Coalitionand the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. Using the
Apprenticeship Finder tool can help you
identify other already-established programs near you. If building
their own program, employers can team up with established partners who serve as
intermediaries to manage the employer's apprenticeship
program.
Free Training and Certification Opportunities.
For businesses with an already-established cybersecurity or IT team
that could benefit from upskilling, there are several free training
and certification opportunities that employees can participate in.
(ISC)², a nonprofit association of certified cybersecurity
professionals, has pledged to give 1,000,000 people its
entry-level education program and certification exam (called the
"Certified in Cybersecurity" program) for free. The Linux
Foundation is offering a 15-hour Developing Secure Software
training and certification program.
Free Multi-Factor Authentication Guide. The
Cyber Readiness Institute has released a free guide to assist small and medium-sized
businesses in implementing multi-factor authentication (or
"MFA"). MFA is one of the best available methods to
increase your business's cybersecurity at a relatively low
cost.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.
Gloss