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Information Technology Laboratory / Applied Cybersecurity Division

National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE)

Strategic Plan

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Values | Goal 1 | Goal 2 | Goal 3 | Goal 4 | Goal 5

Vision:

Prepare, grow, and sustain a cybersecurity workforce that safeguards and promotes America’s national security and economic prosperity.

Mission:

To energize, promote, and coordinate a robust community working together to advance an integrated ecosystem of cybersecurity education, training, and workforce development.

Values:

We...

  • Foster communication and encourage openness to build trust
  • Facilitate collaboration, combining the knowledge and skills of stakeholders with multiple viewpoints and approaches to achieve the best outcomes
  • Share and leverage resources to support community-developed approaches and solutions
  • Act based on evidence, pursuing objective and reliable sources of information and using data to inform actions or decisions
  • Evaluate and improve our effectiveness by using quantitative metrics and qualitative measures
  • Challenge assumptions, examining rationale for past and present education, training, and workforce approaches and applying critical analysis to future solutions
  • Stimulate innovation, inspiring and experimenting with new approaches in a search for creative and innovative solutions that might disrupt or defy the status quo
  • Model inclusion, advocating and enabling engagement of stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and with varying viewpoints

 

NICE_StrategicPlan2020_Career Discovery

Goal #1: Promote the Discovery of Cybersecurity Careers and Multiple Pathways

Objectives:

  • Identify and share effective practices for promoting cybersecurity career awareness and discovery to diverse stakeholders
  • Increase understanding of multiple learning pathways and credentials that lead to careers that are identified in the Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework)
  • Develop and utilize proven tools and resources to identify individuals most likely to succeed in a cybersecurity career
  • Provide information and tools about cybersecurity-related career options to those who influence career choices (e.g., teachers and faculty, school counselors, career coaches, career development personnel, mentors, and parents or guardians)
  • Galvanize employers to promote discovery and exploration of cybersecurity career opportunities and work-based learning experiences

 

 

NICE_StrategicPlan2020_Learning Process

Goal #2: Transform Learning to Build and Sustain a Diverse and Skilled Workforce

Objectives:

  • Foster proven learning methods and experiences shown to effectively build and sustain a diverse, inclusive, and skilled cybersecurity workforce
  • Advocate for multidisciplinary approaches that integrate cybersecurity across varied curricula and support diverse learners from a variety of backgrounds and experiences
  • Improve the quality and availability of credentials (e.g., diplomas, degrees, certificates, certifications, badges) that validate competencies
  • Facilitate increased use of performance-based assessments to measure competencies and the capability to perform NICE Framework tasks
  • Encourage the use of Learning and Employment Records to document and communicate skills between learners, employers, and education and training providers
  • Champion the development and recognition of teachers, faculty, and instructors as part of the in-demand workforce

 

 

NICE_StrategicPlan2020_Talent Management

Goal #3: Modernize the Talent Management Process to Address Cybersecurity Skills Gaps

Objectives:

  • Enhance the capabilities of organizations and sectors to effectively recruit, hire, develop, and retain the talent needed to manage cybersecurity-related risks
  • Utilize new technologies such as machine learning and automated approaches to increase connections and fit between employers and job seekers
  • Align qualification requirements according to proficiency levels to reflect the competencies and capabilities required to perform tasks in the NICE Framework
  • Promote the establishment of more entry-level positions and opportunities that provide avenues for growth and advancement
  • Encourage and enable ongoing development and training of employees, including rotational and exchange programs, to foster and keep current talent with diverse skills and experiences
  • Nurture effective practices in reskilling the unemployed, underemployed, incumbent workforce, and transitioning veterans to prepare them for careers in cybersecurity

 

NICE_StrategicPlan2020_NICE Framework

Goal #4: Expand Use of the Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework)

Objectives:

  • Document and widely disseminate methods, resources, and tools shown to successfully expand use of the NICE Framework
  • Align the NICE Framework to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NIST Privacy Framework, and other cybersecurity, privacy, and risk management publications
  • Establish processes for regularly reviewing, improving, and updating the NICE Framework
  • Explore development of new tools or integration of NICE Framework data into existing tools to increase access and facilitate interoperability
  • Identify and highlight components of the NICE Framework (Tasks, Knowledge, and Skill Statements) that could be potentially performed via automated techniques
  • Expand international outreach to promote the NICE Framework and document approaches being used in other countries

 

 

NICE_StrategicPlan2020_Research

Goal #5: Drive Research on Effective Practices for Cybersecurity Workforce Development

Objectives:

  • Collaborate with stakeholders to research and disseminate results on factors that influence the impact of cybersecurity education, training, and workforce development
  • Inspire bold investigation of critical societal and global issues impacting cybersecurity education and workforce, synthesizing data-driven evidence, and providing trustworthy advice
  • Prioritize research on the most effective and proven practices for blending successful learning practices across education, training, and workforce development settings
  • Utilize research results to inform programs and curriculum design, foster continuous learning opportunities, impact learner success, and ensure equitable access

Previous NICE Strategic Plans:

Contacts

FOR GENERAL INFORMATION

  • NICE Program Office
    (301) 975-5048
    100 Bureau Dr.
    Gaithersburg, MD 20899
Created May 4, 2016, Updated October 27, 2020