CYBER.ORG Range expanding to students across the US.

On Monday, CYBER.ORG, with Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Jen Easterly and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, held a ribbon cutting in Louisiana, announcing the expansion of their CYBER.ORG Range to students across the country.

What is the CYBER.ORG Range?

The CYBER.ORG Range is a cybersecurity skills training environment for K-12 students that is designed to be safe, free, and virtual. The program is intended to prepare students to enter the cybersecurity industry. The Shreveport Times reports that over 750,000 jobs in cybersecurity are vacant in the US, and a shortage of professionals led the state of Louisiana, CISA, and the Cyber Innovation Center (CIC) to team up and create the range. The range was initially funded by the state of Louisiana, says a press release, and is now being expanded by CISA via the agency’s Cybersecurity Education and Training Assistance Program (CETAP) grant.

The importance of the range.

Governor Edwards spoke about the impact the range is having on Louisiana, saying, “CYBER.ORG, through the CETAP grant provided by CISA, is doing critical work in Louisiana to advance the cybersecurity workforce. By providing tools for educators and students, CYBER.ORG is helping pave the path to successful entry into high-paying careers in Louisiana’s growing cybersecurity industry.”

CISA Director Jen Easterly spoke about the importance of the range on a national scale, saying, “I often say cybersecurity is not about technology, it’s not about code, it’s about people. And so, it’s incredibly important that we have people with the skills, the dedication, the vision, the heart, to enable us to be successful in defending this nation in this very complex and dynamic cyberthreat environment,” said Easterly. “So, we have to have the right cybersecurity workforce to be able to do that, and to get to that cybersecurity workforce, we have to have education, experience, and hands-on training.” The range, she says, begins a student’s cybersecurity education at a very young age, and does the important job of inspiring children to see themselves in the industry.