Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has announced guidance aimed at helping agencies identify their cybersecurity skills gaps.
- Federal agencies will use the document, Guidance for Identifying, Addressing and Reporting Cybersecurity Work Roles of Critical Need, and, within a year, report their greatest skill shortages; analyze the root cause of the shortages; and provide actions plans, targets and measures for mitigating the critical skill shortages, OPM says.
- Agencies will file reports for several years, the guidance says, and report on their progress in mitigating skill shortages. OPM will then identify common needs to address from a government-wide perspective.
Dive Insight:
Even the federal government is feeling the squeeze of the skills gap. And with cybersecurity training failing to keep up with demand, the industry has been one of the hardest-hit.
For business, training and expertise in the area is a top priority for management. With continuing cyber attacks on companies large and small, the need for skilled workers will only grow. Luckily, many IT professionals say they're interested growing area, but few workers overall believe that professional development is their responsibility. According to one report, one-third did nothing to upskill in the past year; and forty percent noted their employers haven’t offered opportunities or paid for upskilling.
Training will have to play a key role in in this space, and employers can't expect workers to take the lead. Governments, non-profits and other businesses are working together to identify and teach the skills required to fill the growing gaps that could put government, business and consumers at risk.
