Readout: Senior White House Officials Bring Investing in America Tour to Madison Area Technical College to Highlight Good-Paying Cyber Job Opportunities

White House Leaders Highlight Power of Registered Apprenticeships and Skill-Based Hiring to Boost Opportunities for Wisconsinites

August 2, 2024

Today, in Madison, Wisconsin, Director of the Domestic Policy Council Neera Tanden joined National Cyber Director Harry Coker, Jr. in a visit to Madison Area Technical College (Madison College) as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America tour to showcase investments that are helping create pathways to good-paying cybersecurity jobs that are critical to our national security and economic prosperity.

Directors Coker and Tanden toured cybersecurity classrooms and training facilities before participating in a listening session with a dozen current Madison College cyber students and alumni. They heard first-hand from first-generation college students, veterans, and parents who are preparing for new careers in cybersecurity.

Director Tanden emphasized the many pathways students and workers can take to access the cyber security jobs spurred by the Investing in America agenda, including earn-and-learn programs like Registered Apprenticeships. In addition, she underscored the importance of career and technical education programs that prepare students to enter college or good-paying careers—including dual enrollment opportunities that enable students to earn college credits while still in high school.  

“While the good-paying jobs the Biden-Harris Administration investments have generated don’t require four-year college degrees, they do require evidence-based, quality training. Training that equips people with in-demand skills—and enables workers and students to see themselves in growing fields,” said Director Tanden.

Director Coker spoke about the challenges faced in building the Nation’s cyber workforce, and how, as part of a strong local ecosystem, Madison College is helping meet the demand for cyber workers.

There are approximately half a million – 500,000 – open cybersecurity jobs in the United States. Today, over 13,500 Wisconsin residents are employed in cyber careers. And yet, there are almost 5,000 open cybersecurity jobs in Wisconsin. In the Madison area, there are more than 1,100 open cyber jobs.

Director Coker applauded the regional cyber workforce ecosystem, which features strong connections between Madison College, local employers, high schools, and the Universities of Wisconsin. Madison College and its ecosystem partners are working together to ensure that students are well-equipped to meet the growing need for cyber talent in Wisconsin and across the United States. Promoting the development of local cyber workforce and education ecosystems was a guiding imperative in the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy, released by the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) last July.

“What impressed me about what we saw today were the pathways that are being created for Americans to find their way into the meaningful, purposeful, challenging and rewarding field of cybersecurity,” said National Cyber Director Harry Coker, Jr. “Madison College has hands-on learning, internships, registered apprenticeships, transfer agreements with the University of Wisconsin, and partnerships with local employers that provide vital on-ramps to good-paying jobs in cybersecurity.”

Director Coker’s full remarks are available here.

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Secretary, Amy Pechacek, also participated in today’s activities at Madison College. Secretary Pechacek spoke about how the Administration’s Federal investments in Wisconsin have helped to boost workforce opportunities throughout the state.

Following their remarks, Directors Coker and Tanden participated in a Technology, Workforce, and Education Ecosystem Roundtable that included local employers, educators, and workforce development leaders seeking to increase registered apprenticeships and expand many pathways into the cyber workforce.

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America Agenda has also delivered significant funding to Wisconsin, including:

• Investing in building the digital infrastructure across the state: specifically with $1.6 billion to provide affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet access across all of Wisconsin. Households can check their eligibility, register, and find fully-covered internet plans at GetInternet.gov
• Investing in the expansion of registered apprenticeships in growing industries across the Nation: specifically with $4 million to the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin, directly benefiting job seekers in the Madison area
• Investing in statewide cybersecurity planning activities: specifically with $7.6 million going to the state of Wisconsin to help them with the necessary planning to prepare for, respond to, and prevent cyber attacks

In addition to Federal investments, private companies are also investing in Wisconsin. Since President Biden took office, companies have committed over $3.8 billion in Wisconsin.

Commitments from the public and private sector are vital to growing the cyber workforce that America needs. Building on more than 100 commitments from public and private sector organizations across the country, ONCD is committed to elevating solutions that model best practices and highlight exceptional opportunities to support good-paying cyber careers for all Americans. Today, ONCD was pleased to announce additional commitments that will deliver scholarships and expand registered apprenticeships to enhance opportunities for cyber jobseekers across the United States:

EC-Council

EC-Council, a cybersecurity technical certification body, pledges $15 Million in scholarships to reach over 50,000 students and advance academic institutions with eight turnkey, hands-on programs to build critical cybersecurity skills across the Ethical Hacking, Network Defense, Digital Forensics, Threat Intelligence, Security Operations, IOT Security, DevSecOps, and Cloud Security domains. This pledge includes EC-Council’s original pledge in scholarship funds for its Certified Cybersecurity Technician (CCT) credential. These scholarships will provide complete access to comprehensive cybersecurity curriculum and instructional videos to academic institutions in the United States including universities, CAEs, community and technical colleges career and technical education programs, high schools, and non-profit organizations. Through these scholarships, EC-Council will help accelerate skill development nationwide and usher in a new cyber workforce.

United States Help Desk Academy

United States Help Desk Academy, a U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Program, commits to add no less than 2250 apprentices to the nation’s cyber workforce over three years. The Academy currently offers up to 75 scholarships per month for cybersecurity training and certification as part of its cybersecurity talent pipeline pathway.

ICS Village

ICS Village, a non-profit organization to advance security awareness and education of industrial control systems (ICS), and SANS Institute, a global cybersecurity training, workforce development, certification, and education provider, will explore partnership opportunities with Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) to create a pipeline of 12 students to join their Cybersecurity & Industrial Infrastructure Security Apprenticeship Program (CIISAp) in 2025. This program will develop the next generation of cyber defenders protecting digitally connected systems such as energy assets, wastewater treatment facilities, advanced manufacturing, and transportation systems. This two-year program would enable apprentices to apply their technical industrial cybersecurity education with moderate computer skills and gain the hands-on experience and knowledge needed to fill existing cybersecurity vacancies that currently pay above $90,000 annually.