Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the Senate would better prepare Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) students for careers in cybersecurity and computer science.
The JROTC Cyber Training Act directs the Secretary of Defense to create cooperative research opportunities, targeted internships, and other activities aimed at cybersecurity education and computer science training.
There are currently 500,000 JROTC members at 3,400 high schools nationwide.
There will be 3.5 million computing-related jobs by 2026, according to Department of Labor projections, but only 19 percent of positions will be filled because of an education gap.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Cornyn (R-TX), Gary Peters (D-MI) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV). Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX) introduced identical legislation in the House of Representatives.
“To meet our nation’s growing cyber-defense needs, it is pivotal that we take concrete steps to increase the number of individuals trained in the field of cybersecurity,” Rosen said. “This bipartisan legislation will create a framework where JROTC cadets will become best prepared to address cyber-threats against our country.”
The Computer Science Teachers Association, the College Board, the National Girls Collaborative Project, Code.org, the National Center for Women & IT, CSforALL, AnitaB.org, and other national computer science education organizations have endorsed the legislation.