Page 65 - Cyber Defense eMagazine September 2022

Virtual training addresses the highly unique needs of our upcoming generations and leverages the many
changes in our society that have taken place over the past decade, exacerbated by the COVID-19
pandemic.

Using technology to allow virtual skills development takes advantage of the shift in our culture - The
Entertainment Software Association reports that Americans spend an average of seven hours a week
playing online games with others. At a time when only 5% of our high school students study computer
science due to lack of funding and/or lack of set standards in cyber/computer science curriculum, this
medium serves as a powerful, scalable conduit to students, including importantly those being left behind
in these most basic skills, especially young women and students of color.

According to the Pew Research Center, 95% of 13- to 17-year-olds have access to a smartphone, and a
similar share (97%) use at least one of seven major online social platforms. The worldwide health crisis
of 2020/21 has only fueled that number and validated technology as a viable, teachable medium, as well
as prompted a renewed focus on increasing broadband coverage in rural areas.

If there's one thing we've seen illustrated in the past two years, it's that those in regions of the country
with lower broadband reach are disadvantaged when it comes to virtual education. Fortunately, we now
have not only renewed focus and knowledge about that disparity, but there are also tools – some of which
were used by public school systems around the country – to help counter that disparity and supplement
broadband access.

The U.S. military is already taking advantage of the use of technology and the mobile gaming trend.

Indeed, one of the most revered workforces in the world uses gaming for tactical training, upskilling, soft
skills, and for recruitment. "America's Army Proving Grounds" is the official game for the U.S. Army that
lets players try out virtual missions and maneuvers that echo true-to-life Army scenarios.
If the U.S. Army can complete ‘Missions Impossible’ in headsets, the cybersecurity/IT industry can
employ interactive educational technology to help our next workforce generation develop real-world work
skills through interactive, digital experiences that will engage with industry and expose users to existing
opportunities. Augmented reality can also be used as a more cost-efficient venue for training,
apprenticeships, and stackable credentialing.

The warm-body recruitment approach of today simply isn’t sustainable. To meet the crisis at hand in
safeguarding our cyber defenses and repopulating our workforce in the process, focus needs to shift to
the workforce pipeline – and thinking early in that workforce pipeline, starting in middle to high school.

Our up-and-coming cyber workforce craves career awareness and ultimately, guided access to pathways
and industry. Technology is the answer.

Funding is needed to support broader computer science and cyber programing, in-class career learning
driven by industry, and funding supported by the government, yes. But there also needs to be an open-
minded approach to leveraging novel technology, both in and out of the classroom, as this is a digital
generation that learns best via the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) and by doing things with their hands.

Cyber Defense eMagazine – September 2022 Edition 65
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