Our nation is facing a critical shortage of skilled workers in the cybersecurity arena. A recent study discovered that more than 80 percent of the cybersecurity professionals in the U.S. are over 40 years old, and analysts expect that the number of jobs in this field will increase 28 percent in the next seven years. As our aging workforce looks toward retirement, the nation should consider how to cultivate the next generation of cyberwarriors.

Recently I was part of a group of local cybersecurity experts and policymakers who gathered in a secured facility at Camp Smith to discuss this topic. Participants included representatives of academia, national defense, civil defense and federal law enforcement, as well as from some of Hawaii’s most prominent companies, including Hawaiian Telcom and several local banks.

Our mission: to formulate a vision for how Hawaii can lead the nation in producing and attracting the world’s top cybersecurity talent. President Barack Obama’s Senior Internet and Policy Adviser R. David Edelman attended the sessions to give background on the initiative and participate in the discussion.

Central to the discussion was the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s recently released National Cybersecurity Workforce Framework, which attempts to standardize cybersecurity education programs. This effort was originally launched by President George W. Bush under the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative. In 2010 Obama specifically endorsed the workforce aspect of CNCI when he announced the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education. NICE is a nationally coordinated effort focused on cybersecurity awareness, education, training and professional development.

Participants received briefings from organizations that successfully offer cybersecurity education on a small scale, both in the public (for example, the Naval Postgraduate School in California) and private (such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) sectors.

Discussion topics included how local companies can participate in fellowship and mentorship programs for students entering the field, current skill requirements and how to engage students earlier in their educational journey, such as programs for kindergarten through 12th grade. We also explored issues that stifle business development here in Hawaii and identified potential barriers to implementing the education framework.

At the event’s conclusion, we committed to promoting and creating more fellowship and mentorship programs that provide pre-college students with job opportunities in the field. Additionally, the group will continue to work on establishing a standardized curriculum for cybersecurity education programs at the collegiate level and in kindergarten through 12th grade that identify and cultivate interested students and provide employers with a level of assurance regarding the education received.

While we all recognized that the nation’s cybersecurity workforce shortage can’t be solved in a two-day session, I think all attendees felt significant prog­ress was made as solid policy ideas were developed and communicated back to Washington, D.C., along with the clear signal that Hawaii is ready and eager to lead the nation in this effort.

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Hawaiian Telcom Information Security Director Beau Monday is a local cybersecurity expert. Reach him at Beau.Monday@hawaiiantel.com.