Sec. 303. Study and analysis of education, accreditation, training, and certification of information infrastructure and cybersecurity professionals
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The Director of the National Science Foundation and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall undertake to enter into appropriate arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a comprehensive study of government, academic, and private-sector education, accreditation, training, and certification programs for the development of professionals in information infrastructure and cybersecurity. The agreement shall require the National Academy of Sciences to consult with sector coordinating councils and relevant governmental agencies, regulatory entities, and nongovernmental organizations in the course of the study.
The study shall include— an evaluation of the body of knowledge and various skills that specific categories of professionals in information infrastructure and cybersecurity should possess in order to secure information systems; an assessment of whether existing government, academic, and private-sector education, accreditation, training, and certification programs provide the body of knowledge and various skills described in paragraph (1); an evaluation of— the state of cybersecurity education at institutions of higher education in the United States; the extent of professional development opportunities for faculty in cybersecurity principles and practices; the extent of the partnerships and collaborative cybersecurity curriculum development activities that leverage industry and government needs, resources, and tools; the proposed metrics to assess progress toward improving cybersecurity education; and the descriptions of the content of cybersecurity courses in undergraduate computer science curriculum; an analysis of any barriers to the Federal Government recruiting and hiring cybersecurity talent, including barriers relating to compensation, the hiring process, job classification, and hiring flexibility; and an analysis of the sources and availability of cybersecurity talent, a comparison of the skills and expertise sought by the Federal Government and the private sector, an examination of the current and future capacity of United States institutions of higher education, including community colleges, to provide current and future cybersecurity professionals, through education and training activities, with those skills sought by the Federal Government, State and local entities, and the private sector.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the National Academy of Sciences shall submit to the President and Congress a report on the results of the study. The report shall include— findings regarding the state of information infrastructure and cybersecurity education, accreditation, training, and certification programs, including specific areas of deficiency and demonstrable progress; and recommendations for further research and the improvement of information infrastructure and cybersecurity education, accreditation, training, and certification programs.