CompTIA joins new White House efforts to strengthen cybersecurity in the nation's K-12 schools

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce, is among the organizations participating in a White House meeting today on strengthening cybersecurity in America's public schools.

First Lady Jill Biden, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will meet with school administrators, educators, private sector companies and nonprofit organizations such as CompTIA on actions to counter the increase in cyberattacks that have targeted schools in recent years.

Amy Kardel, senior vice president, strategic workforce relationships, and Angel L. Piñeiro, Jr., vice president, strategic academic relationships, will represent CompTIA at the White House meeting.

"Ransomware attacks on our schools have a devastating impact, from lost learning time in the classroom to the monetary impacts on school districts," Kardel said.

CompTIA's upcoming "State of Cybersecurity" research study finds that ransomware is the second-most common threat behind malware, with 34% of all organizations aware of a ransomware attack in the past 12 months.

"Putting schools in the best position to avoid ransomware attacks requires a combination of robust technologies and the skilling and reskilling of staff," said Kardel. "Equally important, we can educate students on best practices in good cyber hygiene."

"Focusing on cybersecurity in schools has the added benefit of piquing students' interest in the many career opportunities in technology generally, and cybersecurity specifically," Piñeiro noted.

A shortfall of cybersecurity workers continues to plague the U.S., according to the latest data from CyberSeek^™, the leading source for detailed, actionable information about supply and demand in the cybersecurity job market. There were an estimated 1.1 million cybersecurity professionals working across the country between May 2022 and April 2023. In the same timeframe, online job listings for cybersecurity-related positions totaled more than 663,000.

CompTIA previously participated in the July 2022 National Cyber Workforce and Education Summit. CompTIA works with federal, state and local government agencies and departments, including the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship, and other industry, workforce and education organizations to expand and diversify cyber workforce training and education.

About CompTIA 
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $5 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the estimated 75 million industry and tech professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the world's economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for unlocking the potential of the tech industry and its workforce. https://www.comptia.org/

Media Contact
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SOURCE CompTIA