Purdue Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program
Purdue Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program
Proliferating faster than any other labor sector, cybersecurity jobs are expected to have a 37% growth rate between 2018 and 2022, with experts vary in their estimates, projecting 1.5 to 3.5 million cybersecurity job openings by 2021. Recognizing the increasingly significant role of this sector in protecting both citizen’s and the nation’s security, this substantial workforce shortage could have damaging ramifications. In response, we require a focused effort to build and maintain a domestic labor supply for this field. The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) has acknowledged that apprenticeship programs provide an important mechanism for creating a pathway to cybersecurity jobs and is finalizing a Framework to develop such programs.
This presents an optimal time to form public-private partnerships to create a viable national-scale cybersecurity apprenticeship program. Therefore, our vision is to develop the Purdue Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program (P-CAP), a scalable cybersecurity apprenticeship program that creates a steady pipeline of skilled workers to both solve employers’ workforce shortages and create a successful pathway to high-paying jobs for participants. To achieve our vision, Purdue University’s (PU) Polytechnic Institute (one of ten colleges at PU) will leverage their proven track record of establishing award-winning technology and career training programs to develop P-CAP. We will accomplish this through an employer consortium of key industry players (e.g., ManTech, NSWC Crane), and partnerships with the State of Indiana and NGOs (e.g. IN3), with all groups playing an active role in shaping the program.
Purdue Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program (P-CAP). Sponsoring Organization: Department of Labor. Role: co-PI. Award: $11,999,996. Dates: 07/15/2019 – 07/14/2023.