Tim O'Ferrall
The stand-up stance of the newly created U.S. Cyber Command put Fort Meade and the surrounding area on the map as the epicenter of cybersecurity. The new command officially opened its doors on post in October 2010 with about 1,000 personnel and the need to hire thousands of skilled workers to carry out the mission to protect cyber space.
One of the biggest challenges in combating cyberwarfare is finding the quality, skilled workers that can handle the job. The country is struggling to produce enough defense and homeland security professionals, partly because of a lack of interest in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
One area of concern is the need to create relevance and interest to keep students engaged.
Ninety percent of students say the primary reason they have no interest in learning is that they find curricular material uninteresting; more than 40% cite lack of relevance for the reason that they lose interest.
Addressing that lack of interest has become a top priority for the Fort Meade Alliance (FMA).
The independent community organization has created such initiatives and programs as Tech Mania and STEM Family Night — both of which address the need to stimulate students’ interest in STEM fields by showcasing exciting technology used by area companies. These events draw the connection between STEM-related studies and aim to guide these students toward a career in a STEM discipline.
The need for government, business, educators and professionals to work together to create pathways for education that will give students curriculum and skills to support the region’s future workforce needs has never been greater.
“Together we are unraveling the complexity of skills needed in this region and providing a well-educated, prepared workforce,” said Penny Cantwell, chair of the FMA Education and Workforce Committee and senior vice president at CommerceFirst Bank.
The FMA has hosted significant workforce development forums to address the need for qualified workers. Most recently, focused its fourth annual education and workforce development forum on cybersecurity, “Cyber Security: Key to the Future.” The event provided government and industry insight from the front lines of the cybersecurity sector and identified what needs to be done by educational institutions, workforce development organizations and private industry to win the nation’s cybersecurity fight.
“The significant impact of cyber presents new challenges, threats and a significant priority that must be addressed,” said Rosemary Budd, president of the FMA and vice president at TASC Inc. “To address these needs, we must have an appropriately skilled cyber workforce in the Fort Meade region. The key to address cybersecurity is our workforce — quality and quantity as force multipliers.”
More than 250 government and industry specialists, educators and workforce development representatives gathered to discuss this critical need in February. It was apparent from the day’s discussion that a multi-pronged strategy involving government, the private sector and academia is needed to address and deal with the lack of skilled workforce eligible for U.S. security clearances.
This fall, the FMA will release a fourth education white paper that will highlight the discussions from this forum and focus on the next steps to be taken to fight the cyber war.
Tim O’Ferrall is the general manager of the Fort Meade Alliance. He can be reached at 410-850-4940 and toferrall@ftmeadealliance.org.
