The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced Wednesday it will distribute just over $3.3 million via cooperative agreements, to 17 educational and community organizations across the country. The awards — each approximately $200,000 — are aimed at helping states build out regional pipelines of cybersecurity talent and fill critical gaps in the workforce.
The list of recipients spans the continental U.S., from Arizona to Maine. Arizona’s AZ Cyber Initiative received $199,100 to expand its regional efforts. Florida saw two awards, with Florida International University and the University of South Florida each securing $200,000 for projects in the southern part of the state. In Pennsylvania, Indiana University of Pennsylvania received $199,999.20, and Philadelphia’s University City Science Center received $200,000, while the University of Maine at Augusta was awarded $200,000 for its regional work.
Other beneficiaries include San Bernardino Community College District, Whatcom Community College in northwest Washington state, and the University of Southern Mississippi on the Gulf Coast, which received just over $153,000.
Collectively, these agreements are part of NIST’s Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate initiative, known as RAMPS. RAMPS projects are designed to connect local employers’ cybersecurity needs with educators and training providers, guided by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity.
NICE Director Rodney Petersen described the effort as a way to meet employers where they are, in a news release. The RAMPS communities, he said, are meant to tackle workforce needs at the local and regional level by pulling together industry, educators and economic development groups. The goal, he said, is not only to train skilled workers but also to strengthen local economies and give communities better protection against growing online risks.
The timing is hard to ignore. According to data from the NICE-funded CyberSeek tool, the U.S. currently has more than 514,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs. Put another way, there are only 74 qualified workers for every 100 openings — a gap that has stubbornly persisted even as cyber attacks against governments, businesses and nonprofits continue to grow in scale and sophistication.
The 17 projects will take different approaches. Some will focus on classroom-based work, such as developing new high school, college or professional-level curricula. Others will lean into practical learning, building out internships, apprenticeships or hands-on projects that put students in real-world cybersecurity scenarios. Still others will bring in community-driven opportunities, like boot camps, hackathons, competitions and workshops.
With these latest awards, NIST has now helped create 47 RAMPS communities in 25 states.
