Policy Briefing — U.S. National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy
The Biden-Harris Administration’s National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy establishes a whole-of-nation plan to close critical skills gaps through lifelong learning, expanded talent pipelines, and modernized federal hiring.
Executive briefing: On July 31, 2023 the White House released the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy (NCWES), outlining a comprehensive plan to build a diverse cybersecurity talent base and embed cyber skills across the U.S. economy. The strategy—developed by the Office of the National Cyber Director with 30 federal partners—aligns education, workforce, and immigration tools to address persistent vacancies that undercut public- and private-sector resilience.
Strategic pillars
- Lifelong cyber readiness. NCWES calls for universal digital safety literacy, integrating foundational cyber hygiene into K-12 curricula, National Centers of Academic Excellence, and community-based training programs.
- Transforming education. Federal agencies will seed work-based learning, accelerate community college partnerships, and scale apprenticeship models like CyberCorps®: Scholarship for Service to shorten the path between classroom and mission roles.
- Expanding the talent base. The plan prioritizes veterans, career changers, and underrepresented communities through GI Bill alignment, Skills-Based Hiring pilots, and streamlined pathways for international graduates to retain critical expertise.
- Strengthening the federal workforce. Agencies must modernize position descriptions, leverage direct hire authorities, and align competency frameworks with NICE Workforce categories to compete with the private sector.
Implementation implications
- Enterprise workforce planning. Map NCWES initiatives to organizational talent strategies—particularly apprenticeship subsidies, labor grants, and regional training centers—so leadership can pursue co-investment opportunities.
- Supplier and partner requirements. Incorporate NCWES-aligned competencies into procurement criteria and third-party oversight to ensure managed service providers and integrators maintain verifiable skills pipelines.
- Measurement and reporting. Expect agencies to publish annual progress updates; establish internal KPIs that mirror NCWES metrics (vacancy duration, certification attainment, demographic diversity) to communicate alignment.
Actions for security leaders
- Engage workforce boards and educational institutions participating in the National Cyber Workforce and Education Summit series to influence curriculum around zero trust operations, OT security, and secure-by-design engineering.
- Coordinate with HR to leverage federal programs—such as the Department of Labor’s apprenticeship accelerators and DHS Cybersecurity Talent Management System—for shared staffing pipelines.
- Update succession and surge plans with NCWES resources, including Cybersecurity Education and Training Assistance Program materials for K-12 outreach and NICE Career Framework mappings for internal role design.
Sources
- White House fact sheet: Biden-Harris Administration announces National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy (July 31, 2023)
- National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy (July 2023)
- Office of the National Cyber Director announcement: The National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy (July 31, 2023)
Zeph Tech partners with CISOs to operationalize NCWES objectives across regional hiring programs, apprenticeship models, and executive reporting.