Cybersecurity student talent recruitment and development: A case study

Abstract

There is a substantial and fast-growing workforce demand for qualified cybersecurity professionals to defend our cyber space and critical assets against growing cyber threats and attacks. Cybersecurity is a highly technical, comprehensive, and multi-disciplinary field, and it is a challenging task to recruit and develop cyber talent that meet the high expectations of the field. The national Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE) designation by the U.S. National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security (NSA/DHS) is a high-quality program that promotes excellence in cybersecurity education for developing cyber talent. CAE-CDE schools in good standing are eligible for government funding such as the Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Program (DoD CySP) to recruit and develop cybersecurity talent for DoD agencies and to enhance the national pipeline for cybersecurity professionals. This research presents an effective approach to cyber talent recruitment and development using the case study of a DoD CySP program at a CAE-CDE designated university.