Content area
Full text
ABSTRACT
Since its inception in 2008, the CyberPatriot competition has been held annually with the goal of increasing the number of technologically skilled individuals working in the field of cybersecurity. The competition is designed to address the shortage of U.S. citizens with degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines by encouraging talented high school students to pursue post-secondary study leading to careers in cybersecurity. This paper describes how one university successfully partnered with a large metropolitan high school district to better reach out to talented students in both traditional and underrepresented groups.
Keywords: IT skills, CyberPatriot, cyber security, national security
INTRODUCTION
President Obama has said that "America's economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on cybersecurity" (The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, 2009). According to a Report of the CSIS Commission Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency, "For at least the past six years the U.S. Department of Defense, nuclear laboratory sites and other sensitive U.S. civilian government sites have been deeply penetrated, multiple times, by other nation-states" (Evans & Reeder, 2010, p. v). The dependence on computer systems and the need for secure computer systems compels government, private industry, and academia to determine how they are going to hire personnel, train existing personnel while staying abreast of new exploits.
At the same time, the shortfall in skilled workers in the area of cyber security is well documented. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the field of Computer and Information Technology is projected to grow by 22% from 2010 to 2020. The report further states that "workers in these occupations will be needed to develop software, increase cybersecurity, and update existing network infrastructure" (United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). However, Jim Gosler of the Energy Department's Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico indicates that there are only about 1,000 security specialists with the right skills to be effective in securing computer systems but that the United States needs about 10,000 to 30,000 individuals (Gosler, 2010).
To help bridge this gap, the Air Force Association conceived of the CyberPatriot competition in 2008 with the goal of increasing the number of skilled individuals working in the field of cyber security (Air Force Association (AFA). 2012)....