White House moves to ease education requirements for federal cyber contracting jobs | CyberScoop<\/title> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/harry-coker-education-requirements-federal-cybersecurity-jobs\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"White House moves to ease education requirements for federal cyber contracting jobs\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"National Cyber Director Harry Coker wants to see a more diverse cybersecurity workforce.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/harry-coker-education-requirements-federal-cybersecurity-jobs\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CyberScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-11T18:35:28+00:00\"> <meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-11T20:19:26+00:00\"> <meta name=\"author\" content=\"mbracken\"> <meta 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class=\"post-template-default single single-post postid-78759 single-format-standard\" id=\"readabilityBody\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/harry-coker-education-requirements-federal-cybersecurity-jobs\/#main\" class=\"skip-to-content-link visually-hidden-focusable\">Skip to main content<\/a> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-desktop\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <main id=\"main\" role=\"main\" tabindex=\"-1\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-mobile\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--newsletter js-stickybar\" readability=\"0.82\"> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"24.710743801653\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"28.477064220183\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/news\/cybersecurity\/\"> <span>Cybersecurity<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> National Cyber Director Harry Coker wants to see a more diverse cybersecurity workforce. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"416\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/white-house-moves-to-ease-education-requirements-for-federal-cyber-contracting-jobs.jpg?resize=640%2C416&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/white-house-moves-to-ease-education-requirements-for-federal-cyber-contracting-jobs-2.jpg 5627w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/white-house-moves-to-ease-education-requirements-for-federal-cyber-contracting-jobs-2.jpg?resize=300,195 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/white-house-moves-to-ease-education-requirements-for-federal-cyber-contracting-jobs-2.jpg?resize=768,499 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/white-house-moves-to-ease-education-requirements-for-federal-cyber-contracting-jobs-2.jpg?resize=1024,665 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/white-house-moves-to-ease-education-requirements-for-federal-cyber-contracting-jobs-2.jpg?resize=1536,997 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/white-house-moves-to-ease-education-requirements-for-federal-cyber-contracting-jobs-2.jpg?resize=2048,1330 2048w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/white-house-moves-to-ease-education-requirements-for-federal-cyber-contracting-jobs-2.jpg?resize=600,390 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/white-house-moves-to-ease-education-requirements-for-federal-cyber-contracting-jobs-2.jpg?resize=259,168 259w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/white-house-moves-to-ease-education-requirements-for-federal-cyber-contracting-jobs-2.jpg?resize=519,337 519w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/white-house-moves-to-ease-education-requirements-for-federal-cyber-contracting-jobs-2.jpg?resize=1039,675 1039w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/white-house-moves-to-ease-education-requirements-for-federal-cyber-contracting-jobs-2.jpg?resize=1298,843 1298w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1039px) 100vw, 1039px\"><figcaption> Harry Coker testifies during his confirmation hearing for national cyber director before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Nov. 2, 2023. in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"25.157832744405\"><body readability=\"50.458077709611\"><\/p>\n<p>National Cyber Director Harry Coker said on Thursday that he is working with the Office of Management and Budget to remove the requirement for four-year degrees for some federal cybersecurity contracting jobs as part of the Biden administration\u2019s push to boost hiring of cybersecurity professionals. <\/p>\n<p>In his first public remarks since being confirmed as the national cyber director in December, Coker said he is working to improve the diversity of cybersecurity workers and to eliminate barriers that have historically excluded women and people of color from cybersecurity jobs. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to make cyber jobs more available and attainable for groups that traditionally haven\u2019t been recruited and developed,\u201d Coker said in remarks at the Community College of Baltimore County. \u201cThe only way we can defend the digital systems that lay the foundation for our modern way of life is to be sure that every American and people from every community have a pathway to a cyber-based career.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To ease barriers to hiring, Coker said his office is working with OMB to reduce educational requirements that prevent skilled cybersecurity workers from getting hired into the federal contract positions. Later this year, Coker said the federal government plans to carry out a series of hiring sprints, which will include recruiting events at places neglected by the federal government in the past, to fill open cybersecurity positions. <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Coker pointed to community colleges like CCBC \u2014 which is designated by the National Security Agency as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nsa.gov\/Academics\/Centers-of-Academic-Excellence\/\">a center for academic excellence in cybersecurity<\/a> \u2014 as avenues by which students can gain the technical skills at low or no cost and help fill the staggering number of open cybersecurity positions. <\/p>\n<p>While the exact number of vacant cybersecurity positions differ among various estimates, Coker said that he believes there are at least half a million open positions in the industry in desperate need of being filled, at a time when digital systems are increasingly being targeted for attack. <\/p>\n<p>Biden administration officials have described their efforts to diversify the ranks of cybersecurity workers as an initiative to deliver both security gains and economic development. White House officials have argued that cybersecurity positions represent a path to stable middle-class employment and as a way to spread the gains of the digital revolution to underserved communities. <\/p>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/national-cyber-workforce-and-education-strategy\/\">a strategy document released last year<\/a>, the Biden administration outlined a four-pronged approach to boosting the cybersecurity workforce focused on improving cybersecurity education, equipping Americans with cybersecurity skills, growing the workforce and growing the ranks of federal cybersecurity workers. <\/p>\n<p><em>This article was updated to clarify that Coker was speaking specifically about federal contracting jobs in his discussions with OMB about the elimination of four-year degree requirements.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"4.2754880694143\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"14\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/white-house-moves-to-ease-education-requirements-for-federal-cyber-contracting-jobs-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Elias Groll\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Elias Groll<\/h4>\n<p> Elias Groll is a senior editor at CyberScoop. He has previously worked as a reporter and editor at Foreign Policy, covering technology and national security, and at the Brookings Institution, where he was the managing editor of TechStream and worked as part of the AI and Emerging Technology Initiative. 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{"id":2359,"date":"2024-01-11T18:35:28","date_gmt":"2024-01-11T18:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=78759"},"modified":"2024-01-11T18:35:28","modified_gmt":"2024-01-11T18:35:28","slug":"white-house-moves-to-ease-education-requirements-for-federal-cyber-contracting-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2024\/01\/11\/white-house-moves-to-ease-education-requirements-for-federal-cyber-contracting-jobs\/","title":{"rendered":"White House moves to ease education requirements for federal cyber contracting jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"