On June 24, the University of West Florida Center for Cybersecurity hosted a showcase for the National Cybersecurity Workforce Development Program, CyberSkills2Work, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The Showcase highlighted the program’s success and impact to legislators and federal partners.
“CyberSkills2Work started in 2020 as a vision to address the national cybersecurity workforce challenge holistically,” said Dr. Eman El-Sheikh, associate vice president, UWF Center for Cybersecurity. “Today, we are proud to highlight that the program has prepared more than 3,500 transitioning military, veterans and first responders for cybersecurity and AI work roles at no cost to them. In addition, we have built the framework for a scalable national program that strengthens our cyber workforce and national security for the future. We are truly grateful for the support of our legislators, federal, employer and academic partners to make CyberSkills2Work successful.”
El-Sheikh presented an overview of the program and shared the impact it has made since its establishment, and was joined by the academic coalition team and program alumni. Keynote remarks were also given by Mark Gorak, Principal Director, DoD Chief Information Officer, Resources and Analysis, Director, Cyber Academic Engagement Office; and RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Director, Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Other coalition members in attendance include Dakota State University, Eastern New Mexico University – Ruidoso, Florida International University, Metro State University, Cyber Florida at the University of South Florida, University of Texas at San Antonio and Columbus State University.
The National Cybersecurity Workforce Development Program is an innovative, nationally scalable solution for significantly expanding the cybersecurity workforce. Funded by the NSA National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) Program and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), CyberSkills2Work.org prepares eligible participants for cybersecurity and AI work roles at no cost through instructor-led training, industry certifications, hands-on skills development and career development support. Over the past five years, the coalition of 10+ NCAE-C institutions led by the University of West Florida has offered 85 educational pathways that prepare for 17 industry certifications, 15 DoD Cyber Workforce Framework (DCWF) and 15 NICE work roles, and trained 3,500 transitioning military, first responders and veterans for rewarding cybersecurity careers.
For more information about the UWF Center for Cybersecurity, visit uwf.edu/cyber.
For more information about the CyberSkills2Work program, visit cyberskills2work.org.
