U.S. Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Jim Langevin (D-RI) came out in support of President Donald Trump’s executive order designed to bolster the country’s cybersecurity education.
The executive order says the government “must enhance the workforce mobility of America’s cybersecurity practitioners to improve America’s national cybersecurity.” It says federal policy must “facilitate the seamless movement of cybersecurity practitioners between the public and private sectors, maximizing the contributions made by their diverse skills, experiences, and talents to our Nation.”
As the U.S. is experiencing a shortage of cybersecurity talent and capability, the EO is designed to create the necessary training and educational opportunities to close the skills gap. “Training opportunities, such as work-based learning, apprenticeships, and blended learning approaches, must be enhanced for both new workforce entrants and those who are advanced in their careers,” the executive order said.
Thompson and Langevin, who are co-chairs of the House Career and Technical Education Caucus, released a statement in support of the initiative.
“We’re pleased to see the President’s Executive Order on America’s Cybersecurity Workforce contain plans to address the workforce deficit for individuals who work with cyber-physical systems that are often found in our critical infrastructure. These plans are similar to those in our bill, the Cybersecurity Skills Integration Act,” the lawmakers said. “Like our legislation, the EO directs the Administration to evaluate and close cybersecurity skills gaps in critical infrastructure sectors by encouraging education and training providers to develop new curricula. We look forward to working with the President on these important policies, which will improve our nation’s cybersecurity in vulnerable, high-risk sectors like energy, telecommunications, health care, and agriculture.”