Remarks: National Cyber Director Coker Remarks at Madison Area Technical College

Madison, Wisconsin

August 2, 2024

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Good afternoon.

Thank you Kevin for that kind introduction.

Thank you, to my colleague Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden, for your thoughtful comments and for your great partnership opening up pathways to good-paying jobs in cybersecurity.

Madison College President Daniels, thank you for opening your campus to us and for the incredible work happening here at Madison Area Technical College. You are rightfully proud of an incredible staff, faculty, student population and alumni.

And, Secretary Pechacek, it’s a pleasure to spend time with you. Thank you for everything you’re doing to connect foster a strong, capable, workforce here in Wisconsin.

To the students, faculty, and other partners, thank you for joining us. It has been a pleasure meeting and learning from you today.

As Neera mentioned, we are traveling across the country highlight the Administration’s investments as well as to see firsthand, and spotlight, the best practices that are building the Nation’s cybersecurity workforce.

In my almost eight months as National Cyber Director, I’ve seen a lot of “best practices.”

I saw a focus on bringing cybersecurity into more industries – like manufacturing in Detroit.

I’ve seen communities that band together to form the connective tissue that sets the path for any student to have a path into cyber in the historic Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I’ve seen community college systems form the connectivity tissue to high schools, four-year colleges and employers like in Tucson and Glendale, Arizona and in Fayetteville, North Carolina as well as in my current hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.

And just last week I was in Nevada watching an important program funded by the National Science Foundation that trains middle and high school teachers to bring cybersecurity into their curriculums earlier – exciting students even earlier.

And here in Madison, you added to the list of best practices!

Everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve been proud to share how the important investments from the Biden-Harris Administration – especially those expanding our digital infrastructure and provided needed cybersecurity and training resources – are helping protect our Nation.

Here’s what impressed me about what we saw today: under the leadership of Madison Area Technical College, you are creating more pathways for Americans to find their way into this meaningful, purposeful, challenging and rewarding field of cybersecurity.

Hands-on paid internships, transfer agreements with the University of Wisconsin for those with an associate’s degree, and partnerships with local employers – these all provide vital onramps to a good-paying job in cybersecurity.

Last July, President Biden released the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy. It’s a foundational document focuses our collective effort on growing the cyber workforce. And, let me be clear, having a strong cyber workforce isn’t only a matter of National security, it’s also a matter of economic prosperity and technological innovation.

When I was in uniform, it was almost exclusively those of us in the Federal Government who were on the front lines defending our Nation against nation-states. But today, in our increasingly digital world, all of us can find ourselves up against bad cyber actors – whether they be foreign governments or cyber criminals. And that’s a real concern for small businesses, state, local, territorial and tribal governments, and those that own and operate critical infrastructure.

As Neera said, today there are approximately half a million – 500,000 – open cybersecurity jobs in our great Nation.

Right here in Wisconsin, over 13,500 people are employed in cyber careers. There are almost 5,000 open cybersecurity jobs in Wisconsin. In the Madison area: there are over 1,100 open cyber jobs.

Whatever we’ve been doing hasn’t been working well enough. We’re down 500,000!

So we must open up the pathways to help more Americans find their way into cybersecurity.

There is more than one way to have a cyber career. No, you don’t have to have a computer science degree to serve in a cyber role. America needs to know that the Biden-Harris Administration is invested in making sure there are multiple pathways available for anyone who wants to begin their cyber career.

You already heard from Director Tanden about the value and importance of Registered Apprenticeships and other hands-on, earn and learn opportunities to create pathways to good jobs across all industries. This is true in so many industries. And it certainly pertains to cyber.

Here at Madison College, we have been impressed by your approach. I found the advisory board especially insightful.

Students are getting invaluable, real-world experience through a broad range of paid internships. Internships at local businesses, utilities, banks, insurance, and more. It really is a win-win situation. They are using their knowledge to protect their communities today as students. At the same time, they are becoming the future cyber workforce who will be ready to go on day-one when they move into the workforce full time. 

Today we met Melissa, an alum of Madison College.

She was living in New Jersey and earned a four-year degree and was working as a para-professional teacher’s aide for students behavioral disorders and autism.

Like millions of Americans, Melissa had her identity stolen. She told us she felt helpless. It was a terrible feeling.

But as a result of that awful ordeal, she became curious about the world of cybersecurity – an issue she knew was always there but, in her words, “I had always let someone else take care of it.”

Now she didn’t just want to protect herself, she wanted to help protect others. And she started learning about cybersecurity.

As she was researching programs at home, she didn’t find the right fit. But the program at Madison College was just what she was looking for. And she has family nearby. So she came to Wisconsin.

Here at Madison College, she took courses in Linux and Python coding. She learned about Active Directories, firewalls and networking. She built a mail server from scratch and she secured it.

And now, she’s taken that knowledge and applied it to her community. She worked part-time – and now full-time – at the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

She’s gaining valuable hands-on experience and helping protect her community – today.

Melissa shared with us how intimidating the world of cybersecurity can seem for those without experience. She took the leap anyway, and has found something she is passionate about.

She encourages others to explore the world of cybersecurity because there are such a variety of jobs and specializations available – something for everyone.

It was Madison College that set her on a path to success. Like so many community colleges, they meet students where they are and help fantastic people like Melissa contribute to the safety of their state and our Nation. She turned a tragedy into an opportunity into an opportunity for public service.

Thank you, Melissa.

Melissa’s path is one of many that we need to build the cyber workforce our Nation needs.

As Neera, talked about, the Biden-Harris Administration has made a dedicated effort – with investments to match – to provide work-based learning through the expansion of Registered Apprenticeships. We know that apprenticeships provide yet another pathway into cyber and across other industries.

We know the Federal Government can’t solve our workforce challenge alone. Stakeholder collaboration is critical to our success.

In addition to the commitment announcement by Director Tanden, and on behalf of sever key stakeholders, I am pleased to announce two new commitments today.

ICS Village and SANS Institute will explore partnership opportunities with schools in the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) to create a pipeline of 12 students to join their Cybersecurity and Industrial Infrastructure Security Apprenticeship Program (CIISAp) in 2025.

Today am I also excited to announce that EC-Council, a cybersecurity technical certification body, has pledged $15 million in scholarships to reach over 50,000 students, supporting them in earning new industry credentials and participating in growing their cybersecurity skills through hands-on programs.

I am proud of the work we have seen here in Madison today, and of the many private sector, non-profit, and academic partners that have stepped up to participate in the important work of growing the cyber workforce.

And I am proud of the investments the Federal government is making in Wisconsin to help connect more Americans to good-paying, meaningful jobs in cyber.

You’ve heard Neera and I say that this administration is “Investing in America” and to the students we met today, I say we are investing in you.

Let me be clear, the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in American agenda has been delivering for Wisconsin.

These investments also includes building out digital infrastructure across the state, connecting more people to education and training, and opening up job opportunities.

Specifically, $1.6 billion to provide affordable, reliable high-speed internet across all of Wisconsin.

This includes:

• Over $1 billion to build high-speed internet infrastructure, as well as to teach skills and provide equipment so everyone can use the internet;
• Almost $14.9 million to reduce the cost of bringing high-speed internet service to unserved and underserved communities;
•  $14.2 million to promote digital inclusion and advance equity by ensuring that all communities have access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet.

We’ve also invested in statewide cybersecurity planning activities, specifically with $7.6 million going to the state of Wisconsin to help them with the necessary planning to prepare for, respond to, and prevent cyber attacks, as the state – and world – is increasingly connected and digitized.

As National Cyber Director, I spend a lot of time talking with leaders across critical infrastructure sectors and I repeatedly hear two things: they need resources and they need more people ready to join the cyber workforce. Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, we are making sure more resources become available. And thanks to much of the work we’ve seen today, you’re taking those investments and helping create the workforce of the future.

Today we witnessed first-hand how Madison College and its local partners are working together so that, no matter what pathway they take, students are well-equipped to meet the growing need for cyber talent. You all are doing great work here in Madison and our Nation will be safer and more prosperous because of it.

Thank you again and keep up the great work.