Advocacy Win: Cyber Maryland Program to drive Cybersecurity Talent

The Cyber Maryland Program, which is overseen by the Cyber Maryland Board and administered by TEDCO, was created to address the workforce needs of the cybersecurity industry in Maryland and to support the development of a highly skilled and diverse cybersecurity workforce. Specifically, the program aims to:

(1) Create a talent pipeline that significantly reduces workforce vacancies by July 1, 2026;

(2) Serve as a one-stop shop for employers seeking to leverage cybersecurity workforce development programs offered by the state and its partners;

(3) Inform cybersecurity training and education programs operated by public or private entities with industry-driven needs;

(4) Build the most advanced local and state information technology workforce in the nation, which, to the maximum extent possible, reflects the racial, gender, ethnic, and geographic diversity of the state;

(5) Coordinate and accelerate cybersecurity research and innovation in the state; and

(6) Support the efforts of the Department of Information Technology to improve the state government’s cybersecurity posture, including state agencies, local government units, and critical infrastructure.

To achieve these goals, the Cyber Maryland Program conducts ongoing research in collaboration with the CAMI Cybersecurity Talent Advisory Board, to collect and analyze real-time industry data on cybersecurity workforce needs. The program uses the results of this research to increase the effectiveness of existing state cybersecurity workforce programs and to facilitate partnerships for new training and education programs that address identified workforce needs. By December 1, 2023, the program will develop a statewide strategic plan for cybersecurity workforce development, with input from the Cybersecurity Association of Maryland, Inc. and the Cybersecurity Talent Advisory Board.

In addition to these efforts, the Cyber Maryland Program administers and manages the Cyber Maryland Fund, which is a special, non-lapsing fund that supports the purposes of the program and innovative approaches to meeting cybersecurity workforce needs. The fund consists of money appropriated in the state budget and any other money from any other source accepted for the benefit of the fund. The program may use the fund only for administering the program and providing grants to various organizations, including elementary and secondary schools, institutions of higher education, for-profit corporations, and nonprofit organizations that are involved in cybersecurity workforce development. The Cyber Maryland Program also aims to ensure that the outcomes of its efforts are inclusive and reflect the racial, gender, ethnic, and geographic diversity of the state, to the maximum extent practicable.