The supply of cybersecurity professionals has fallen far short of demand. Studies reflect an, estimated gap as large as 600,000 professionals needed to meet the Nation’s demand. The GenCyber program is an effort to turn things around. We hope to help turn that around.
Noting that, cybersecurity is rarely taught in schools even within computer science classes, the goal is to change that by spurring best practices in cybersecurity pedagogy across content areas and development of curricula and lesson plans that can be used to infuse cybersecurity principles across many subject areas.
Cybersecurity is vital to the future of the United States, not just at the government level, but also at the industrial, economic, academic, and personal levels as well. It is critical that young students have a basic understanding of cybersecurity so that as they acquire through their education and personal experiences, they can identify how cybersecurity impacts all aspects of their lives, be it social media, economic situations, or physical devices.
Our country is entering an era where numerous household items, personal computing devices, and business systems are connected to “The Internet of Things”. As a result of this rapidly evolving technological environment, everyone needs to be cognizant of cybersecurity. Whether you are an NSA analyst, an accountant, an electrician, or a stay-at-home parent, understanding the necessity of practicing cyber security has become increasingly important in our lives. We need both broad awareness of cybersecurity in the general population and experts in the field who can identify and mitigate vulnerabilities.