How to Develop the Cybersecurity Workforce Government Needs

This post was written in partnership with Symantec.

It’s no secret that government agencies are having troubles addressing the cybersecurity workforce shortage.  According to a May 2018 joint report to the President from secretaries at the Commerce and Homeland Security Departments, a cybersecurity workforce shortage of 1.8 million jobs is expected by the year 2022.

The report found that positions requiring fulfillment range from entry-level jobs that can be performed by high school graduates to those that require advanced degrees and multiple years of on-the-job experience and expertise.

But when it comes to hiring, there is no standardized, government-wide cheat sheet for validating an employees’ skills, which can be challenging if hiring managers aren’t adept at identifying a candidate’s technical skills.

Other roadblocks include competition from other public-sector agencies and private companies, hiring freezes, and modest compensation packages.

Despite these challenges, some agencies are making progress to improve hiring and employee training.

At the Symantec Government Symposium, a panel of experts is set to address these challenges, including Suzette Kent, U.S. Federal Chief Information Officer, Office of Management and Budget, in the Cyber Workforce Fireside Chat: Workforce for an Automated Security World session.

The executive fireside luncheon is set to discuss:

• What government – and individual agencies can do to bring attractive talent to the table.
• How we can sift through confusing processes by bringing private sector agility to the hiring, firing, and onboarding of qualified candidates.
• Collaboration with veterans, online, and academic training organizations.
• Additional incentives and challenges to workforce retention.

Other speakers for the panel include Bertina Ceccarelli, Chief Executive Officer, NPower and Shiela Jordan, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Symantec.

The 15^th Annual Symantec Government Symposium will bring together 800 government and private sector attendees on Tuesday, October 30 in Washington, D.C. to foster dialogue on today’s most pressing cybersecurity challenges in government.

For more information or to register for the event, click here.