{"id":201616,"date":"2026-04-02T12:19:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T16:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/02\/lawmakers-renew-push-for-labor-department-backed-cyber-apprenticeship-grants\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T12:35:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T16:35:14","slug":"lawmakers-renew-push-for-labor-department-backed-cyber-apprenticeship-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/02\/lawmakers-renew-push-for-labor-department-backed-cyber-apprenticeship-grants\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers renew push for Labor Department-backed cyber apprenticeship grants"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lawmakers renew push for Labor Department-backed cyber apprenticeship grants<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/labor-department-cybersecurity-workforce-apprenticeships\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-04-02 12:19:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: cyberscoop.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Author: <\/a><\/p>\n

Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points. <\/p>\n

With the country\u2019s cybersecurity workforce still experiencing major shortages, a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers is pushing to enlist the Department of Labor to help tackle the problem.<\/p>\n

The Cyber Ready Workforce Act would direct the DOL to establish a grant program that supports the \u201ccreation, implementation, and expansion of registered apprenticeship programs in cybersecurity,\u201d per a press release announcing the bill\u2019s introduction this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs cyberattacks become more common and complex, we need to ensure we have the workers with the training and skills necessary to protect our cyber infrastructure and Americans\u2019 personal data,\u201d Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., one of the bill\u2019s co-sponsors, said in a statement. \u201cThis bipartisan legislation will help fill gaps in our cybersecurity workforce and will open the door to more good-paying, cutting edge jobs for Nevadans, regardless of whether or not they have a college degree.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another co-sponsor, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, said in a statement that the legislation would provide \u201ctargeted support\u201d for businesses, colleges and nonprofits that need more cyber protections. The country\u2019s \u201csevere talent shortage\u201d in cyber \u201cposes a serious threat to our national security and economic growth,\u201d the Tennessee Republican said.<\/p>\n

The introduction of the legislation Tuesday isn\u2019t Rosen and Blackburn\u2019s first bite at the apple, but previous efforts stalled out in the Senate. This time around, the senators added a pair of House co-sponsors \u2014 Reps. Susie Lee, D-Nev., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. \u2014 to the pitch. It also comes at a time when the Trump administration has directed the DOL to do more with apprenticeships and technology.<\/p>\n

Lee said in a statement that in Nevada alone, there\u2019s a shortage of 4,000 cybersecurity professionals. Some estimates put the nationwide cyber workforce deficit at nearly half a million jobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether you know it or not, cybersecurity \u2026 impacts all of us, from our small businesses, to utility grids, to our national security. But we don\u2019t have enough talent to fill these jobs.\u201d Lee said. \u201cThis bill will help ensure that we don\u2019t fall behind when it comes to cybersecurity, while putting Nevada at the forefront of the high-demand, high-impact, and high-paying jobs of the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to a fact sheet posted to Lee\u2019s congressional website, the bill calls on the Labor Department to award grants to \u201cworkforce intermediaries\u201d that will grow the number of registered cybersecurity apprenticeship programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Grant funding should be used for developing curricula and providing technical instruction. It could also go toward marketing and recruitment programs, support services such as career counseling and mentorship, and assistance for things like transportation, housing and childcare costs.<\/p>\n

The legislation also encourages grant recipients to connect and collaborate with workforce intermediaries in business, nonprofit and academic settings. Coordinating on resources in cyber apprenticeship programs should ensure federal investments aren\u2019t going toward duplicative efforts, per the fact sheet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe continued shortage of cybersecurity professionals has exposed our nation to severe vulnerabilities, threatening our economy and national security,\u201d Fitzpatrick said in a statement. \u201cNow, more than ever, a strong cybersecurity workforce is necessary to protect our interests at home and abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addressing the cybersecurity workforce shortage has been a priority for many lawmakers over the past several years, with legislation seeking to establish cyber grants at two-year colleges and minority-serving institutions, create new federal cyber training programs, give money to CISA for minority recruitment efforts and more.<\/p>\n

\t\t\tWritten by Matt Bracken
\n\t\t\tMatt Bracken is editor in chief of FedScoop and the former managing editor of CyberScoop. Before joining Scoop News Group in 2023, Matt worked in various editing, reporting and digital roles at Morning Consult, The Baltimore Sun and the Arizona Daily Star. You can reach him at matt.bracken@scoopnewsgroup.com.\t\t<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lawmakers renew push for Labor Department-backed cyber apprenticeship grants https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/labor-department-cybersecurity-workforce-apprenticeships\/ Publish Date: 2026-04-02 12:19:00 Source…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":201617,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2228505044.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[24],"class_list":["post-201616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cybersecurity","tag-cybersecurity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201616"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201616"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":201618,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201616\/revisions\/201618"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}