1 Year of NCWES: White House Wants to Expand Cyber Jobs for Veterans

To highlight the one-year anniversary of the White House’s National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy (NCWES), the Biden administration held a workshop focused on expanding opportunities for veterans to obtain good-paying cyber jobs.

The Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) co-hosted the workshop on July 31 with the Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS) to promote the ways in which Federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments can better serve transitioning service members, veterans, and military-connected families.

“A career in cyber is a good fit for veterans and military spouses. Employers are coming to understand that veterans and military spouses can be fantastic employees, leaders, and members of their teams,” said National Cyber Director Harry Coker. “I also appreciate that a cyber job may be particularly helpful to military spouses because they are often picking up and moving to a new city – many cyber jobs can be done remotely.”

Assistant Secretary for DOL-VETS, James Rodriguez, announced during the event that a brand-new Federal resource guide highlighting programs for transitioning service members, veterans, and military-connected families in accessing the cyber workforce will be available in the coming weeks.

“Service members, who defend our national infrastructure from cyberattacks, are uniquely positioned to fill and lead cybersecurity roles with their transferable skills refined while in uniform,” said Rodriguez. “Convening stakeholders from both the public and private sectors will be critical to meeting the demand for cybersecurity workers. ONCD is reducing barriers, proving a degree isn’t needed for those who’ve already done this job.”

Representatives from 40 different public and private organizations participated in the workshop and provided examples of best practices that could be implemented by both the public and private sector.

This included dedicated recruitment programs for military spouses, additional leave for military spouses in conjunction with military service member moves, and flexible telework policies for military spouses.

The participants also highlighted the importance of training and educating human resources professionals to support flexible hiring practices and skills-based hiring, as well as earn while you learn work-based learning opportunities such as the Pentagon’s SkillBridge program, registered apprenticeships, and paid internships.

Additionally, ONCD highlighted that one of the key takeaways from the workshop was the urgent need for awareness of the many opportunities and programs that are available to military-connected families. This includes highlighting programs, training opportunities, and placement support through the Federal, state, industry, educational, and non-profit sectors.

Building on more than 100 voluntary commitments gained from agencies and organizations across the country, ONCD announced five additional commitments that will deliver training and employment nationwide to more veterans and military spouses interested in joining the cyber workforce, including from ManTech and NTT Data.