Mary-Louise Hoffman
The need for stronger cyber protection has reached a “critical juncture” and lawmakers should consider introducing measures to close the information technology skills shortage, BlackBerry‘s Jeffrey Ait writes in an opinion piece for Nextgov.
Ait, BlackBerry vice president and head of its U.S. public sector business, says two recent studies indicated the current government IT workforce is inadequate to mitigate cyber threats to the nation’s critical infrastructure.
“I believe the government must implement policies to both reward current cybersecurity professionals and incentivize innovations in cybersecurity education,” he added.
Agencies could attract IT specialists by offering a competitive salary package, continuing education programs and a flexible work schedule, according to Ait.
He also recommended that public sector establish programs to encourage students to pursue information security courses as well as excel in that field.
“By doing so, the government can better mobilize the next generation of skilled cybersecurity workers to address today’s skills gap,” he stated.
