On February 7-8th, Members of Congress, the White House’s Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD), and NIST/NICE welcomed Dr. Mark Sorrells, Lawrence Young, and David Thompson, leaders of the Carolina Cyber Network (CCN), to D.C. to discuss the work happening at CCN. Cybersecurity concerns are a hot topic in Washington. With over 20,000 open cybersecurity jobs in North Carolina alone, employers are still looking for the right professionals. The White House, NSA, DoD and other agencies are looking for innovative solutions to the workforce delta issues in cybersecurity. During the visit, CCN leaders shared the vision behind the Network and the remarkable progress they have made in a short time.
Since the original partnership between Montreat College and Fayetteville Technical Community College in 2019, the Network has grown to 14 member institutions, with another four in the works. The Network intends to create a pipeline between credible and high-standard cybersecurity training—training that values both hard and soft skills—and employers. In time, the Network hopes to supply 3,000-5,000 trustworthy cybersecurity professionals annually, effectively addressing the current workforce crisis.
The trip was filled with back-to-back meetings that generated tremendous support for the efforts of the CCN. Director of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), Rodney Peterson, stated that the Network’s strategic direction was spot on and aligns with NICE efforts. The Office of the National Cyber Director similarly sees tremendous value in CCN efforts. Both ONCD and Members of Congress are finding ways to include and leverage the Network’s subject matter experts for ongoing workforce development strategy development at the federal level.
“It has been an honor to meet with so many like-minded leaders,” said Lawrence Young, Executive Director of the Carolina Cyber Center, “and to see how seriously our cybersecurity workforce crisis is being taken. We can do what we do because we have representatives and leaders leading the charge. We hope our state will continue to profit from their leadership and that highlighting the work CCN is doing will garner further support for cybersecurity in the Carolinas.”
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February 24, 2023
Joe Jakubielski
Carolina Cyber Center of Montreat College
joe.jakubielski@www.carolinacybercenter.com
828-335-3553
