GAITHERSBURG, Md. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded cooperative agreements totaling nearly $3 million aimed at developing the workforce needed to defend the nation’s organizations and infrastructure from cybersecurity risks. The grants of roughly $200,000 each will go to 15 education and community organizations in 11 states that are working to address the nation’s shortage of skilled cybersecurity employees.

The cooperative agreements will be overseen by NICE, a NIST-led partnership between government, academia and the private sector focused on cybersecurity education, training and development of a diverse workforce. 

“To strengthen our national and economic security, we need a highly skilled and talented cybersecurity workforce,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Laurie E. Locascio. “This investment in cybersecurity education and training will help fill a critical workforce need while giving people the skills they need to succeed in good-paying, high-quality jobs.”

The NICE-funded CyberSeek tool, which analyzes data about the cybersecurity job market, found that there were nearly 470,000 cybersecurity job openings in the U.S. between May 2023 and April 2024. Roughly 85 workers were available to fill every 100 cybersecurity job openings in the U.S. during this time.

The organizations receiving the awards will build Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate (RAMPS) cybersecurity education and workforce development. These RAMPS projects will align the workforce needs of local business and nonprofit organizations with the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity.

“The RAMPS program provides individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences and life circumstances access to cybersecurity careers,” said NICE Director Rodney Petersen. “It also helps communities collaborate on creating career pathways to good jobs for all Americans and contributes to economic development by addressing workforce needs at the local and regional scales.”

Many of the RAMPS projects promote curriculum development or education and training at the high school, collegiate or professional levels. Others support work-based learning experiences in the form of internships, apprenticeships or projects. Still others support workshops, bootcamps, competitions and hackathons.

With these latest awards, there will now be 33 RAMPS communities in 20 states. The award recipients, areas served, and amounts awarded are:

Adventurous Minds Produce Extraordinary Dreams Inc.          
Louisville, Kentucky   
$199,670

The Coding School   
New York City & Westchester County Region
$200,000

Del Mar College District       
Corpus Christi, Texas               
$200,000

The Escal Institute of Advanced Technologies Inc.          
North Bethesda, Maryland   
$199,700 

Howard Community College            
Columbia, Maryland 
$200,000

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments       
Washington, D.C.        
$195,726

Miami University
Oxford, Ohio                   
$199,850

Moraine Valley Community College            
Palos Hills, Illinois      
$199,982                

New York University
New York, New York   
$200,000

Old Dominion University Research Foundation
Norfolk, Virginia 
$200,000

Purdue University     
West Lafayette, Indiana          
$199,717

Research Foundation of CUNY on behalf of Lehman College  
Bronx, New York           
$200,000

The Sierra College Foundation        
Rocklin, California 
$198,000

University of Florida                
Gainesville, Florida    
$199,999

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University          
Blacksburg, Virginia  
$194,270