Lawmakers renew push for Labor Department-backed cyber apprenticeship grants

With the country’s cybersecurity workforce still experiencing major shortages, a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers is pushing to enlist the Department of Labor to help tackle the problem.

The Cyber Ready Workforce Act would direct the DOL to establish a grant program that supports the “creation, implementation, and expansion of registered apprenticeship programs in cybersecurity,” per a press release announcing the bill’s introduction this week.

“As cyberattacks become more common and complex, we need to ensure we have the workers with the training and skills necessary to protect our cyber infrastructure and Americans’ personal data,” Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said in a statement. “This bipartisan legislation will help fill gaps in our cybersecurity workforce and will open the door to more good-paying, cutting edge jobs for Nevadans, regardless of whether or not they have a college degree.”

Another co-sponsor, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, said in a statement that the legislation would provide “targeted support” for business players, colleges and nonprofits that need more cyber protections. The country’s “severe talent shortage” in cyber “poses a serious threat to our national security and economic landscape expansion,” the Tennessee Republican said.

The introduction of the legislation Tuesday isn’t Rosen and Blackburn’s first bite at the apple, but previous efforts stalled out in the Senate. This time around, the senators added a pair of House co-sponsors — Reps. Susie Lee, D-Nev., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. — to the pitch. It also comes at a time when the Trump administration has directed the DOL to do more with apprenticeships and technology.

Lee said in a statement that in Nevada alone, there’s a shortage of 4,000 cybersecurity professionals. Some estimates put the nationwide cyber workforce deficit at nearly half a million jobs.

“Whether you know it or not, cybersecurity … impacts all of us, from our small business players, to utility grids, to our national security. But we don’t have enough talent to fill these jobs.” Lee said. “This bill will help ensure that we don’t drop behind when it comes to cybersecurity, while putting Nevada at the forefront of the high-demand, high-impact, and high-paying jobs of the future.”

According to a fact sheet posted to Lee’s congressional website, the bill calls on the Labor Department to award grants to “workforce intermediaries” that will grow the number of registered cybersecurity apprenticeship programs. 

Grant funding should be used for developing curricula and providing technical instruction. It could also go toward marketing and recruitment programs, support services such as career counseling and mentorship, and assistance for things like transportation, housing and childcare costs.

The legislation also encourages grant recipients to connect and collaborate with workforce intermediaries in enterprise, nonprofit and academic settings. Coordinating on resources in cyber apprenticeship programs should ensure federal capital investments aren’t going toward duplicative efforts, per the fact sheet. 

“The continued shortage of cybersecurity professionals has exposed our nation to severe vulnerabilities, threatening our global economy and national security,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement. “Now, more than ever, a strong cybersecurity workforce is necessary to protect our interests at home and abroad.”

Addressing the cybersecurity workforce shortage has been a priority for many lawmakers over the past several years, with legislation seeking to establish cyber grants at two-year colleges and minority-serving institutions, create new federal cyber training programs, give money to CISA for minority recruitment efforts and more.

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