The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is awarding over $3.3 million in cooperative agreements to educational and community organizations to build the nation’s dwindling cyber workforce.
The funding will be divided into 17 awards of about $200,000 each and will be distributed to organizations across 13 states, according to the agency’s Sept. 17 announcement.
Organizations will lead Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate (RAMPS) cybersecurity workforce and education initiatives, which aim to match the workforce needs of local businesses and nonprofits, according to NIST.
Agreements will be overseen by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), which is a collaborative program among government, academia, and industry to develop standards and guidance to strengthen the U.S. cybersecurity workforce.
The agreements come as NICE reports 514,000 cybersecurity job openings across the nation, with only around 74 workers available to fill each 100 open positions.
“RAMPS communities are intended to address the cybersecurity workforce needs of employers in local and regional economies,” said Rodney Petersen, director of NICE, in a statement.
“By bringing together local industry, educational organizations and economic development entities, communities can develop a skilled workforce, help grow their economy and protect against risks in cyberspace,” he continued.
The new cooperative agreements add to a total of 47 RAMPS communities across 25 states, NIST officials said. Several of the newest agreements are within Virginia.
RAMPS projects will largely focus on building curriculum or providing education and training for high schoolers, college students, or professionals.
“Other initiatives will offer practical learning opportunities such as internships, apprenticeships or hands-on projects,” said NIST officials. “Additional efforts include hosting workshops, boot camps, competitions and hackathons.”