NICE maps cybersecurity goals for federal agencies, general public

The National Institute of Standards and Technology will coordinate a nationwide effort at cybersecurity education. The White House tasked NIST in a plan released April 19 for the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, which developed from the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, to lead a handful of other federal agencies in nationwide cybersecurity and innovation efforts.

NICE objectives include:

• National cybersecurity awareness: To Launch public service campaigns, led by Homeland Security Department.
• Formal cybersecurity education: To develops a series of education programs related to cybersecurity, ranging from K-12 to higher education classes, led by Education Department and Office of Science and Technology Policy.
• Federal cybersecurity workforce structure: To define cybersecurity jobs within the government which will lead to recruiting and hiring for positions across federal agencies, led by the Office of Personnel Management.
• Cybersecurity workforce training and professional development: To design cybersecurity training programs required for federal government civilian, military and contractor employees, led by Defense Department, Office of the Director of National Intelligence and DHS.

Through these four areas of focus, NICE aims to secure the federal government and affect a greater cultural change around cybersecurity, says the White House.

"Cybersecurity if much more than technological solutions to technical problems; it is also highly dependent on educated users who are aware of and routinely employ sound practices when dealing with cyberspace," said a statement from the Executive Office of the President.

For more:
- see this announcement from the Obama Administration
- see this Federal Computer Week article

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