Cybersecurity Training

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, last week, I introduced the Cybersecurity Skills Integration Act with Congresswoman and co- chair of the Career and Technical Education Caucus, Suzanne Bonamici.

In high-risk critical infrastructure sectors, like telecommunications, agriculture, or healthcare, a workforce with basic cyber skills is essential to our public safety. Unfortunately, many skilled workers lack any cybersecurity training specific to the systems they work on daily.

Our society is increasingly reliant on cyber technologies for our most critical infrastructure. As bad actors increase cyberattacks, we must ensure we are protecting our most sensitive data. This legislation empowers the next generation of learners to have the most sophisticated and comprehensive education to better protect our essential systems and assets for years to come.

The bipartisan Cybersecurity Skills Integration Act would fund the development of critical infrastructure CTE programs that integrate cybersecurity. This is a bipartisan issue that both the Trump and Biden administrations have placed increased focus on.

This legislation would align CTE programs with industry needs by giving businesses a seat at the table with postsecondary institutions crafting programs that ensure students are learning relevant skills, including cybersecurity competencies.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it.

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