Cybersecurity Education and Training

 

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Cyber Defense Education & Training (CDET) team is committed to strengthening the nations federal and national cybersecurity workforce through standardizing roles and helping to ensure we have well-trained cybersecurity professionals today as well as a strong pipeline of future cybersecurity leaders tomorrow. CDET manages training and education programs that promote awareness as well as create opportunities for citizens to become cybersecurity professionals needed to secure the nations cyber infrastructure and information systems. CDET makes investments in resources to educate the Nation to address current and future cybersecurity challenges by building and sustaining an adaptive cybersecurity workforce as a national asset. Through CETAP, DHS/CISA seeks to 1. Target K-12 educators, administrators, guidance counselors, and caregivers and promote awareness of national cybersecurity education and workforce training and education opportunities. 2. Create pathways for K-12 educators and potential educators and students by providing an adaptable cybersecurity curricular model that targets K-12 students (with a priority toward K-8) to include hands-on, engaging cybersecurity-integrated curriculum, gamified activities, competitions, and ready-to-use-tools. 3. Develop partnerships and increase stakeholder engagement to maximize outreach efforts and the impact of cybersecurity education in the K-12 community. 4. Develop and implement a comprehensive regional engagement strategy that enables CISA and its regional partners to increase awareness of all CETAP tools and resources, specifically to underserved and underrepresented communities. Through Cyber Workforce Development/NTTP, DHS/CISA seeks to Implement an engaging training hub (virtual, in person, or a hybrid combination) covering both national and regional cybersecurity challenges to deliver cybersecurity training to underserved communities and connect participants and employers in one or more CISA regions. 1. Implement an apprenticeship and/or placement program for entry-level cybersecurity professionals thats supported by affiliations with cybersecurity entities who may support program enrollees and/or graduates. 2. Decrease the cybersecurity workforce shortage and equity gap by placing NTTP program graduates into full-time, entry-level cybersecurity jobs.

Active 97.127 Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2016 In the FY16 grant period, NICERC will continue to update the curricula, as well as develop new curricular offerings to include cyber-infused high school mathematics. The intent is to integrate cyber concepts into early high school-level mathematics material, while ensuring a logical flow of the course topics to engage the students and support their understanding of both mathematical and cyber concepts. NICERC projects training approximately 2500 new teachers in the next grant period, with a combined total of approximately 4,150 teachers and 520,000 students affected overall. In the FY16 grant period, NICERC continued evaluating the curricula for relevant application, as well as made significant progress in the develop of a new curricular offerings to include cyber-infused high school mathematics. The intent is to integrate cyber concepts into early high school-level mathematics material, while ensuring a logical flow of the course topics to engage the students and support their understanding of both mathematical and cyber concepts. In addition to the mathematics course, NICERC has begun working to build Cyber Society, a liberal arts course, as a full year-long course. By the end of FY16 grant, NICERC projects training 2,577 new teachers, with a combined total of 4,150 teachers and 676,842 students affected overall.
Fiscal Year 2017 In the FY17 grant period, NICERC will continue to update the curricula to ensure curricular learning platforms are applicable to the workforce demands, as well as provide educators with the depth and breadth needed to ensure student understanding of cyber knowledge, skills, and abilities. A new learning platform will be added to the Cyber Literacy, Cyber Literacy 2, and Cyber Science courses to allow maximum versatility within the classroom. NICERC projects training approximately 3000 new teachers in the next grant period, with a combined total of approximately 4,650 teachers and over 1,000,000 students affected overall.
Fiscal Year 2018 If funding levels continue, NICERC projects training approximately a greater number of new teachers in the next grant period compounding the number of students affected overall.
Fiscal Year 2019 CETAP has 18,487 teachers accessing the teacher resources and has trained 1,796 educators either face-to-face or virtually.
Fiscal Year 2020 Cybersecurity Education and Training Assistance Program (CETAP) significantly increased virtual training opportunities for teachers through self-paced and facilitated trainings. CETAP had 25,000 teachers accessing the teacher resources during the year as well as trained a total of 2,700 teachers.
Fiscal Year 2021 Cybersecurity Education and Training Program (CETAP) saw significant increases in teachers accessing the curriculum as well as professional development workshops. By the end of FY21 (Sept. 2021), CETAP impacted 23,872 educators through curricula access and trained 17,890 teachers over the lifespan of the award. Major projects include multiple state-wide adoptions of CYBER.ORG’s cybersecurity standards as well as major advancements in its HBCU feeder and students with disabilities program. NTTP: The Cybersecurity Workforce Development and Training Pilot for Underserved Communities identified two non-traditional technical training providers to develop curricula, a virtual or hybrid in-person training hub, and an entry-level skilled apprenticeship program for underserved populations: NPower and CyberWarrior.
Fiscal Year 2022 FY2022: The Cybersecurity Education and Training Assistance Program (CETAP) will continue to see significant increases and building off of previous years successes. By the end of FY22, CETAP impacted nearly 30,000 educators through curricula access and have trained just shy of 24,000 teachers over the lifespan of the grant. Major projects include expansion of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) feeder program (Project REACH) to 10 HBCUs across the country with approximately 30 high schools participating in the program. FY2022: The Cybersecurity Workforce Development and Training for Underserved Communities (NTTP) pilot program will continue to see significant development of curricula, a virtual or hybrid in-person training hub, and an entry-level skilled apprenticeship program for underserved populations. The non-traditional technical training providers (NTTPs) have approved Cybersecurity Pathways Retention Strategies that are used to track performance measures, to include identifying goals for reaching the target population over the lifespan of the cooperative agreement. During the first year of the cooperative agreement, the NTTPs enrolled, roughly, 116 individuals into training activities. Through CyberWarrior’s 28-week training course and NPower’s 18-week training course, 77 individuals have graduated and received certifications ranging from A+ to Security+. Of those graduates, 30 have obtained employment in cyber fields. Homeland Security Act of 2002, Section 102(b)(2), Public Law 6 U.S. C. ss 112(b)(2)-107-296, U.S.C.
Homeland Security Act of 2002, Pub. L. No. 107-296, § 102(b)(2) (codified as amended (6 U.S.C. § 112(b)(2)) Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS status, other than Institutions of higher education. Specific information on applicant eligibility is identified in the funding opportunity announcements. Refer to program guidance. Not applicable. Preapplication coordination is not applicable. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Application deadline and other information are contained in the funding opportunity announcements. Applications or plans are reviewed by DHS program and administrative staff. Any issues or concerns noted in an application will be negotiated with the successful applicants prior to an award being issued. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines Refer to the funding opportunity announcement. Not applicable. Subject to future appropriations. Refer to the funding opportunity announcements for information on criteria for selecting proposals. 1. Develop, implement, recommend, manage, evaluate, and support cybersecurity education and outreach programs, other educational outreach programs, as well as workforce development initiatives aligned to the Department of Homeland Security’s Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2020-2024. Partnerships between academia, industry, nonprofit organizations, and local educational agencies are strongly encouraged. 2. Develop, implement, manage, and evaluate programs that demonstrate an effective integration of cybersecurity across subject areas. 3. Develop and implement exploratory pilot programs that seek to create new educational experiences for students in cybersecurity, especially those from underserved populations. 4. Develop larger cohesive cybersecurity education and outreach activities that strengthen the capacity of regional/local communities and stakeholders to leverage partnerships. 5. Develop, implement, manage, and evaluate cybersecurity education program at various levels from pre-college to collegiate levels of undergraduate and graduate that prepares participants for realistic job placement. 6. Develop activities that exposes participants to the necessary technical and problem-solving skills for competency in cyber, promote/encourage computational and digital literacy. 7. Encourage partnerships in the cybersecurity ecosystem to develop and implement cyber education and outreach programs with a holistic approach to understanding real-world applications. 8. Develop trans-disciplinary activities which creates understanding of innovation entrepreneurship in the development of new technologies and technology transfer 9. Provide cybersecurity training, marketing, and outreach videos. 10. Provide programmatic support to the CDET programs/initiatives for students, educators, caregivers, and schools. 11. Informing K-12 and post-secondary students/learners of the possibility of a career in the cybersecurity fields so as to ensure that a viable workforce will be available from which DHS/CISA and the Nation can recruit future cybersecurity professionals. Not applicable. In accordance with the provisions of 2 CFR 200, Subpart F - Audit Requirements, nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $750,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Non-Federal entities that expend less than $750,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in 2 CFR 200.503. These audits are due to the cognizant Federal agency, submitted through the Federal Audit Clearinghouse, not later than 9 months after the end of the grantee's fiscal year. Grant records shall be retained for a period of 3 years from the day the recipient submits its final acceptable expenditure report. If any litigation, claim, negotiation, audit, or other action involving the records has been started before the expiration of the 3-year period, the records must be retained until completion of the action and resolution of all issues which arise from it, or until the end of the regular 3-year period, whichever is later. Grant records include financial and program/progress reports, support documents, statistical records, and other documents that support the activity and/or expenditure of the recipient or sub-recipient under the award. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. Refer to the funding opportunity announcements. Awards are subject to the Cash Management Improvement Act for payment and/or reimbursement of expenditures. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: annual. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Ashley Pearce
CISA-NGR STOP 0645
1110 Glebe Road
Arlington, VA 20598 US
Education@cisa.dhs.gov
Phone: 202-809-0622 http://www.cisa.gov 70-0565-0-1-999 (Cooperative Agreements) FY 22$6,800,000.00; FY 23 est $9,800,000.00; FY 24 est $9,800,000.00; FY 21$6,300,000.00; FY 20$0.00; - Refer to the funding opportunity announcements. A-110, Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals and Non-Profit Organizations (2 CFR Part 215), A-21, Cost Principles for Educational Institutions (2 CFR Part 220), A-122, Cost Principles for Non-Profit Organizations (2 CFR Part 230), and A-133 Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations, in addition to program regulations, guidelines, DHS policy and procedure. Not applicable.