Building a Cybersecurity Workforce Pipeline

States confront four interrelated challenges to building, recruiting, and retaining a cybersecurity workforce. First, many companies are unable to find or hire employees who possess the skills necessary for writing computer code, analyzing network traffic, using security applications, or managing cybersecurity projects. Second, while graduates with these skills often find employment, supply remains limited because schools struggle to attract new students to the field or find the resources to educate those who do show interest. Third, there is a gap in finding qualified teachers to educate students in this field. Finally, cybersecurity specialists frequently choose lucrative positions in the private sector, leaving resource-strapped government agencies struggling to fill even the most basic positions. These four problems combine to create a cybersecurity workforce shortage that holds back state economic development and imperils government networks.