While the job market for cyber talent has hit record numbers, employers have found it quite difficult to recruit quality individuals to fill the ranks. There are intense efforts to identify and hire employees with related experience, yet with limited success.

Beginning in 2020, a team of 4 higher education institutions established an NSA funded consortium named Cybersecurity Workforce Certification Training initiative or CWCT with the support from N-CAE. CWCT leadership projects by September of 2023 when this round of funding concludes, 1,100 people will be trained.

By design, 75% of the trainees in CWCT come from those who have served our nation, state, or local communities – via the military, law enforcement, 1st responders, etc. To date, our records show that 71.2% of the trainees are from underrepresented populations, 29.3% are women, which fits well with the desired demographic most employers are looking for. We are proud to announce our potential completion rate is currently running over 80%, well beyond our expectations.

Our CWCT workforce development program has fully recognized the importance of workforce preparation through academic training and competency measurement through the industrygovernment recognized certifications. The CWCT program goes one step further to develop a Job Placement program through workshops on resume building and interview skills development, and more importantly, introducing job opportunities to our training participants through CWCT virtual job fairs and other unique efforts.

This Fast Pitch talk will provide a quick synopsis of the CWCT initiative, then address our unique and successful approach to bringing employers and trained employees together.