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President Trump on Thursday signed the America's Cybersecurity Workforce executive order aimed at bolstering the cybersecurity labor pool.
Why it matters: While estimates vary, the growing global shortage of cybersecurity practitioners will be as much as 3 million by 2021. For the government, which cannot compete with the pay scales of the private sector, that could cause a national security problem.
Details: The cybersecurity workforce order includes provisions to:
- Standardize federal cybersecurity job listings, solving a difficulty federal applicants have moving laterally from one agency to another.
- Introduce new incentives for good cybersecurity skill, including a President's Cup competition for federal workers.
- Create a rotational program, allowing federal workers to embed with Homeland Security, and Homeland Security workers to embed with agencies to gain experience with new problems.
- Establish a secondary school educator award.