With a growing demand for cybersecurity talent and hundreds of thousands of unfilled cyber positions across the country, many are turning their attention to early-career employees who have the potential to fill those open roles.

At the same time, effectively connecting with cyber talent won’t be easy for federal agencies. Andrea Thompson, CEO of the Dakota State University Applied Research Corporation (DARC), said because there are so many unfilled positions, cyber professionals hold a lot of sway in choosing where they want to work — and that heats up the competition between agencies and private sector employers.

“They have an option to either go to a high-paying position in industry, or maybe not make as much money, but perhaps make a bigger difference in government,” Thompson said in an interview with Federal News Network. “But I would challenge folks that you can do both. You can go into industry and then go into the State Department, into the Defense Department, into the FBI, DHS and others, and both win. The government gets stronger with our experts and industry gets stronger, learning more about policy.”

Although separate entities, DARC works in partnership with Dakota State University. DSU sees its role in addressing the challenge of cyber recruitment and retention as a provider of opportunities for skills development, mentorships and other resources for those interested in a career in cyber. DSU offers a wide range of specialties for STEM degrees, and has a near-perfect job placement rate for graduating students. As a separate corporation, DARC works more closely with national security organizations and federal contractors.

By providing those opportunities and then connecting skilled cyber professionals with employers across the country, DSU and DARC aim to advance the cybersecurity workforce to meet growing cyber threats nationwide. Much of the solution will involve collaborating across multiple fields and industries, according to Thompson.

“We’re not going to fill the shortfall organically — we can’t grow enough and train enough cybersecurity experts,” Thompson said. “We’re going to have to recruit from partners and allies.”

The importance of upskilling and taking risks

One growing strategy for cyber is upskilling, a practice both at federal agencies and more broadly, as they look to develop and grow expertise in their workforces. The idea of upskilling means employees can work for a few years at another employer or with another program, then potentially bring back new skills and a great understanding to the work of an agency. On the other hand, the employee will also feel refreshed and likely more fulfilled in their current position, often leading to better workforce retention. At DARC, Thompson said upskilling is “critically important.”

“Go work for the new Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy at the State Department, or in the Defense Department. Go do digital forensics in the FBI. Go help with election security at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. We need those life experiences,” Thompson said. “Our nation’s federal agencies are doing exciting work, but much of it you don’t get to read about. As a career intelligence officer, I tell folks, there are amazing things [you’ll work on] keep our nation safe that you’ll never be able to talk about.”

But to remain competitive in the cyber workforce space, Thompson said agencies also need to start taking more risks. With greater workforce diversity, agencies can connect with a broader range of skills and ultimately reach better cybersecurity solutions.

“I think that in government, we have a tendency to get in a routine,” Thompson said. “We have a tendency to recruit from the same schools, subcontract with the same companies … But much of our innovation is now coming from those smaller universities, and small and medium enterprises.”

The better employers get at sharing early-career talent, the more agile they’ll be, and the better able they’ll be to address the nation’s biggest cybersecurity threats, Thompson said.

And Thompson’s biggest advice for agencies? Form meaningful, direct connections with aspiring cyber talent.

“Look to other sources of recruitment. Lean a little bit forward. Take a few more risks,” Thompson said. “Come to the career fairs, come to campus visits, come to the large conferences where a lot of the companies come. We are better together.”

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