 Strengthening the National Cyber Workforce The number of unfilled cyber jobs nationwide presents both a national security challenge and a tremendous economic opportunity, with public and private sector organizations pursuing a wide range of creative solutions. Released in July 2023, the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy (NCWES) prioritizes whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to address the immediate needs of the cyber workforce. The NCWES focuses on three guiding imperatives: (1) leverage collaborative workforce development ecosystems to meet cyber workforce demands; (2) enable the lifelong pursuit of cyber skills; and (3) strengthen the cyber workforce through greater diversity and inclusion. Senior officials from across the Federal Government conducted strategic outreach engagements across the United States to gather perspectives from workers, educators, employers, and government leaders at local, state and Federal levels on cyber workforce matters. As of March 2024, more than 90 organizations had made commitments in support of the NCWES, including hiring over 13,000 people in cyber jobs, dedicating over $280 million toward equipping Americans with foundational cyber skills, transforming cyber education, expanding the national cyber workforce, and strengthening the Federal cyber workforce. The NCWES makes clear that access to cyber education is necessary to meet our national cyber workforce needs in a sustainable manner. More than 440 colleges and universities designated by NSA as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) deliver rigorous cybersecurity education to thousands of students each year. More than 100 of these NCAE-C institutions participate in the CyberCorps®: Scholarship for Service (SFS) program led by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in collaboration with DHS and OPM. To prepare students in high school to enter these programs, Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs funded by the Department of Education are expanding their reach into middle schools with technical skill development as well as career advising and navigation. The GenCyber program, administered by NSA and funded through NSA and NSF, is developing the cyber skills of K-12 teachers and students in informal summer camp learning environments. With consistent and dedicated Federal support, these efforts can continue to expand innovation in STEM education and provide a foundation for sustained development of the national cyber workforce. The NIST NICE program coordinates Federal Government cybersecurity education and workforce programs through the NICE Interagency Coordinating Council. NICE also promotes and energizes a community working together through the NICE Community Coordinating Council which includes working groups that implement the NICE Strategic Plan. NICE supports the ongoing development of CyberSeek.org which provides an interactive jobs heat map and a cooperative agreement for the U.S. Cyber Games resulting in the annual selection of the U.S. Cyber Team. Updated in March 2024, the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity establishes a common lexicon that describes cybersecurity work and workers for the public and private sectors. Cyber workforce and education efforts are most effective when they align skill development— beginning in elementary school with career awareness, through career navigation in the middle 2024 REPORT ON THE CYBERSECURITY OF THE UNITED STATES POSTURE 19