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, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Native American colleges, Asian-American 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.

The bill provides for the establishment of:

• a Research K-12 Science and Technology Education Board of Advisors to make recommendations regarding K-12 science and technology education domestically and internationally;
• 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 baseline equipment, skilled instruction, and certification needed by college and university laboratory facilities;
• an Office of Computing and Information Security Professional's Mentoring Program for outreach to institutions of higher education, critical infrastructure owners, and federal agencies to promote professional mentors for students;
• a program under which DHS may designate colleges and universities as Centers of Academic Computer and Information Assurance Distinction;
• programs in conjunction with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award grants to institutions of higher education for cybersecurity and information security professional development programs and degrees; and
• an E-Security Fellows Program for state, local, tribal, and private sector officials to participate 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 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs.