As technology continues to evolve, so does the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals who can protect our infrastructure. Yet despite this growing demand, many cybersecurity jobs are unfilled. Reports from Cyberseek cite over half a million job openings in cybersecurity in the U.S. alone.
It is clear that we need more highly trained professionals to fill these critical roles to ensure our cyber systems remain secure. Government officials and industry leaders have noted a lack of practical technical skills, as well as employability (e.g., communication, teamwork, management) skills, which can be gained from real-world, experiential learning opportunities.
As a result of this, community cybersecurity clinics have emerged across the world. These clinics, such as the Cyber Ready Clinic provide cyber professionals opportunities to get hands-on, real-world experience while serving their local community. Combining learning with service, students get hands on experience while defending the infrastructure of non-profits, schools, small businesses, and more. However, until now, there was no framework to ensure clinics provide consistent and high-quality, competency-based, real-world training to cybersecurity professionals.
That’s where Workcred stepped in to partner with the National CyberWatch Center to develop an accreditation model to validate the efforts of the community cybersecurity clinics. This model is the result of collaboration from various stakeholders, including faculty members, certification body representatives, and cybersecurity professionals. It is a big step forward in the cybersecurity training industry and could serve as a blueprint for other sectors seeking to integrate experiential learning with community impact and workforce readiness.
As the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, so must our solutions to building a bridge between education and the workforce. This new accreditation model is the start of that bridge. It creates a framework for ensuring cybersecurity professionals are prepared to meet the ever-evolving challenges and help secure the organizations and communities they serve.