Readout: National Cyber Director Visits the College of Southern Nevada to Showcase Local Partnerships Providing Hands-on Learning for Students

Visit Highlights the Power of Hispanic-Serving Institutions to Boost Cyber Jobs for Nevadans

August 9, 2024

Today, in Las Vegas, Nevada, National Cyber Director Harry Coker, Jr. visited the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) as part of the nationwide Cybersecurity Workforce and Education Roadshow to share how the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America Agenda is supporting Nevada’s cybersecurity ecosystem. Director Coker’s visit highlights the power of community colleges and Hispanic-serving institutions to help increase access to good-paying, meaningful cyber jobs and grow the area’s cyber workforce.

Director Coker talked in-depth about the opportunity to strengthen national security and increase economic prosperity by building the nation’s cyber workforce. He highlighted best practices in the southern Nevada region, including strong partnerships between community colleges, four-year institutions, local employers, and the K-12 school system.

In Nevada, as in other parts of the nation, there is a strong demand for cyber talent. Over 8,000 Nevadans are currently employed in cyber careers, yet there are still 4,316 open cybersecurity jobs in the state, including over 2,500 open jobs in the Las Vegas region.

The work being done at CSN is particularly important to expand opportunities in cybersecurity to all Americans. The largest and most ethnically diverse college in Nevada, CSN is a federally-designated Hispanic-serving institution, which provides strong cyber educational programs and is dedicated to expanding opportunities for individuals from parts of society who are currently underrepresented in the cyber workforce. Director Coker engaged in a listening session with students to hear about their pathways to cyber, including: high school students getting early exposure to cyber and IT through Career Technical Education programs; CSN students reskilling to support career transitions; and University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) students who serve their local community while getting real-world experience working at the UNLV Free Cyber Clinic.  

Director Coker toured CSN’s cyber facilities, including a lab where students get hands-on training to prepare them to be ready on day one after graduation. The lab includes a room-sized Faraday cage, which keeps wireless signals inside the lab, allowing students to get invaluable experience with techniques like penetration testing without any risk to the school’s wireless network. After the tour, Director Coker spoke about the innovative best practices employed by CSN and its partners to build a pipeline for the local cyber workforce.

“The approach taken at CSN, stressing the importance of hands-on learning by integrating industry certifications, internships, and work study programs – facilitating pathways into employment – or transferring to four-year institutions like UNLV is what sets this local ecosystem apart,” said Director Coker. “I was thrilled to see the thriving partnership between CSN and UNLV – another key regional player creating cyber talent in the Las Vegas area. Connections between two- and four-year institutions provide important pathways for students to get education and training that fits their goals as they enter the cyber workforce.”

Following his remarks, a panel of members of the local cyber workforce ecosystem, including representatives from CSN, local employers, and the Clark County Water Reclamation District discussed how they work together to create opportunities for the region’s young people and mid-career professionals interested in getting into cyber.

The Director’s full remarks are available here.

In line with the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy released last July, Director Coker saw firsthand at CSN how a focus on skills-based, hands-on learning opportunities positions students at a significant advantage in the workforce. A testament to the quality of its educational program, the National Security Agency has designated CSN as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity.

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America Agenda has delivered significant funding in Nevada, including:

• Investing in expanding the digital infrastructure across the state: specifically with $838.7 million to provide affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet access across Nevada. Households can check their eligibility, sign up, and find fully covered internet plans at GetInternet.gov

• Investing in efforts to promote digital inclusion and advance equity: specifically with $754,458 through the State Digital Equity Planning Grant for Nevada

• Investing in statewide cybersecurity planning activities: specifically with $2.4 million going to Nevada to help the state with the necessary planning to prepare for, respond to, and prevent cyber attacks

In addition to Federal investments, private companies are investing in the cyber workforce. Commitments from the public and private sector are vital to growing the cyber workforce that America needs. Building on more than 100 commitments from public and private sector organizations across the country, ONCD is committed to elevating solutions that model best practices and highlight exceptional opportunities to support good-paying cyber careers for all Americans. Today, ONCD was pleased to announce additional commitments that will deliver thousands of new jobs and expand registered apprenticeships to enhance opportunities for cyber jobseekers across the United States:

Nevada Help Desk

Nevada Help Desk, a U.S. Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program, commits to adding no fewer than 250 apprentices each year to the nation’s cyber workforce for the next three years. The Help Desk currently offers up to 25 scholarships per month for cybersecurity training and certification as part of its cybersecurity talent pipeline pathway.

Leidos

Leidos, a provider of IT and cyber services to the Federal Government, works toward a more inclusive, educated, and innovative cyber future through three workforce pillars, focused on: 1) skills-based hiring; 2) diversity; and 3) training future-ready talent. To enable skills-based hiring, Leidos commits to developing a comprehensive skills strategy. This strategy will focus on matching talent to jobs based on skills, utilizing degree equivalency criteria, pay differentiation for specialized skills, and cyber career development aligned with the NIST NICE skill taxonomy. Leidos also pledges to share best practice outcomes from the skills strategy across the industry and to hire 15,000 veterans and military spouses by 2030. 7,000 of these hires are projected to be technical hires, a rate that exceeds non-veteran hires, and 2,500 of the projected technical hires would not need to hold a college degree.