Talent Hack: Solutions for the Cybersecurity Skills Gap

As many as a million jobs in cybersecurity remain unfilled around the world – but somehow, the massive shortfall in skilled talent hasn’t made it any easier to break into the field, especially for women, millennials, and people of color.

That challenge has led the government, schools, and companies to think outside the box in efforts to bring on new talent. Top officials from the Department of Homeland Security have traveled to  hacker conferences such as Black Hat and DEF CON to recruit talent. In January, Vice President Joe Biden and Energy Secretary announced a that the federal government would budget $25 million to train students at historically black colleges for cyber jobs. There are also a slew of degree and certificate programs available for people hoping to jump into this often high-paying field.

Those efforts are a start, but they aren’t likely to fix the deficit of cyber professionals in the near future.

On Wednesday, October 27, 2015, Passcode and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCSA) hosted an event in Washington featuring officials from the Department of Homeland Security and companies such as Raytheon and Symantec talking about ways to address the skill shortfall in both the government and private sector.