Lawmakers look to ease educational requirements for federal cyber workforce

Bipartisan leaders of a key House panel have introduced new legislation to speed up the federal government’s onboarding of cybersecurity personnel by prioritizing candidates’ skills over academic backgrounds. 

The proposal, from Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, looks to expand agencies’ pool of potential cyber talent by limiting the use “of educational requirements or qualifications in evaluating candidates for certain cybersecurity positions in the competitive service.”

Mace and Brown are the chair and ranking member, respectively, of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Government Innovation. The legislation was formally introduced on Tuesday. 

Read more at NextGov/FCW