BELLEFONTE — U.S. Representatives Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., and Jim Langevin, D-R.I., co-chairs of the Congressional Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus, Monday re-introduced the Cybersecurity Skills Integration Act to mark the end of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This bipartisan legislation seeks to create a $10 million pilot program within the Department of Education that will award competitive grants to career and technical education programs that integrate cybersecurity into their curricula.

In critical infrastructure sectors, like telecommunications, agriculture or health care, a workforce with basic cybersecurity skills is essential to public safety. Unfortunately, many training programs in these fields do not place the same emphasis on cybersecurity as they do on physical safety. By working to close the cybersecurity skills gap, this legislation will help better prepare our nation to defend our critical infrastructure from cyber threats.

“Our society is increasingly reliant on cyber technologies for our most critical infrastructure. As bad actors increase cyber-attacks, we must ensure we are protecting our most sensitive data,” said Rep. Thompson, co-chair of the CTE Caucus and senior member on the House Committee of Education and Labor. “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 bill also requires the Department of Education to coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the defense of the nation’s sixteen critical infrastructure sectors, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which promotes a robust ecosystem of cybersecurity education and training, when awarding grants

“Cybersecurity is our battlefield of the future, and ensuring the US Military is prepared is EANGUS’s top priority,” said Daniel Reilly, president of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States of America. “EANGUS applauds the work of Rep. Langevin and Rep. Thompson in ensuring our Service Members are not only ready but are given the best training the US Military can offer.”