Cyber Security Education and Federal Workforce Enhancement Act

Cyber Security Education and Federal Workforce Enhancement Act

This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) an Office of Cybersecurity Education and Awareness Branch to make recommendations to DHS regarding: (1) recruitment of information assurance, cybersecurity, and computer security professionals; (2) grants, training programs, and other support for kindergarten through grade 12, secondary, and post-secondary computer security education programs; (3) guest lecturer programs in which professional computer security experts lecture computer science students at institutions of higher education; (4) youth training programs for students to work in part-time or summer positions at federal agencies; and (5) programs to support underrepresented minorities in computer security fields with programs at minority-serving institutions and rural colleges and universities.

DHS must provide matching funds to local educational agencies for after-school programs dedicated to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

The bill provides for the establishment of:

• a Research K-12 Science and Technology Education Board of Advisors;
• a Computing and Information Security Post-Secondary Education Working Group to assist DHS in developing voluntary guidelines for federal civil agency training programs, certification authorities, and accreditation bodies;
• a Post-Secondary Laboratory Research Development Task Force to recommend best practices for college and university laboratory facilities;
• an Office of Computing and Information Security Professional's Mentoring Program;
• a program under which DHS may designate Centers of Academic Computer and Information Assurance Distinction;
• programs in conjunction with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award grants for cybersecurity and information security professional development programs and degrees; and
• an E-Security Fellows Program to facilitate participation in DHS's National Cybersecurity Division.

DHS may make grants to post-secondary institutions to equip computer laboratories for teaching and research purposes.

The NSF must report to Congress regarding the causes of the high dropout rates of women and minority students enrolled in STEM programs.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov