On Friday, U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) introduced legislation that would help advance the development of the country’s federal cyber workforce.
Rounds, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Cybersecurity said the legislation, the Federal Cyber Workforce Training Act of 2024, would require the National Cyber Director to establish a plan within the federal government to serve as a centralized resource and training center for federal cyber workforce development.
“Cybersecurity is involved in every aspect of the federal government and continues to rapidly evolve,” Rounds said. “We can’t simply keep up with this evolution, we must be ahead of the curve. Being proactive in training our federal cyber workforce will help the United States bolster cybersecurity across all agencies of the federal government.”
The program would make it easier for federal government employers to prepare newly hired, early-career personnel. The legislation would require that the director consult with the secretaries of Homeland Security and Defense, as well as the director of the Office of Personnel Management to establish a plan for training personnel hired for cyber work roles. The institute would be required to provide modularized cyber work role-specific training, and prioritize the training for entry-level positions, while addressing the needs of personnel looking to transition to mid-career positions.
Officials said the program would make it easier for federal government employees to prepare new hires for federal cyber positions. Additionally, the program would leverage private sector help, especially in academia, to develop and delivery cyber training.
“Strong cybersecurity is a necessity to protect families and businesses from threats and bad actors,” Ossoff said. “That’s why Senator Rounds and I are introducing this new bipartisan bill to help ensure we have the workforce we need to protect families and businesses from cyber threats, with Georgia positioned to lead the way.”