Creating Pipelines into Cybersecurity Careers for Veterans with the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD)

Earlier this week, members of the EC-Council team, including CEO Jay Bavisi, attended the White House’s “Workshop on Good-Paying Cyber Jobs for Veterans and Military Spouses.” Hosted by Director Harry Coker of the Office of the National Cyber Director and co-hosted by the Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment & Training Service, the workshop focused on expanding pipelines to meaningful jobs in cyber for separating service members, veterans, and military-connected families.

At a time when the cybersecurity industry faces an ongoing skills gap and veterans in some cases struggle to fine sustainable, meaningful careers after leaving the service, providing pathways into cybersecurity jobs represents a win-win scenario. Not only will it reward veterans with meaningful employment after their time in the military, but it also increases the pool of vital cybersecurity talent that is currently needed to protect the world from cyberattacks.

During the workshop, attendees discussed the unique challenges veterans and military spouses face in pursuing long-term, meaningful careers after completing their time in the service, and how careers in cybersecurity can help address these challenges. All in attendance agreed that providing tangible, meaningful education opportunities that lead to real prospective jobs with willing employers, and provide funding for that education to ensure either low cost or free to the service member, is key to solving this challenge at scale.

Cybersecurity jobs demand skilled cyber professionals, meaning skills-based learning approaches like those offered by EC-Council must be a core component of this effort moving forward. By creating pathways for veterans to gain cybersecurity skills from the essentials up through more advanced skillsets like pen testing, digital forensics, incident handling, EC-Council is helping the ONCD in its work towards this goal.

We as an organization are as committed as ever to democratizing cybersecurity education, closing the cybersecurity skills gap, and building the desperately needed cybersecurity workforce of tomorrow.

We are proud to have joined the ONCD in this discussion, and look forward to working with them and all others who share our vision for a more secure world, safe from cybercrime.