Idaho National Lab (INL) awarded an economic development grant of $25,000 to Boise State University’s Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity. The institute has identified a growing need for cybersecurity and cyber systems staff in rural and remote communities across Idaho.
With the support of this grant, the Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity will provide initial assessment efforts to outline areas of risk and training pathways for local governments across the state to sharpen the skills of those working on the front lines of cybersecurity.
Through the use of an assessment toolkit, including INL’s developed platform called CYBER-CHAMP, Boise State will evaluate Idaho communities’ cybersecurity staff and their general cybersecurity posture. The communities will receive a report with recommendations related to staff career development along with identifying other cybersecurity risks.
The university will then align an approach to provide cutting-edge training to local government technology employees across the state to sharpen the skills of those working on the front lines of cybersecurity. Boise State will also launch a pilot program in which selected communities can receive a cybersecurity assessment and apply for scholarship funding for accredited cybersecurity courses starting this summer.
“Boise State is committed to enabling cyber career knowledge and skill development pathways for all Idahoans,” said Ed Vasko, director of the Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity. “Our goal is to help our community partners across Idaho understand their risks to infrastructure, and to enable a cyber-ready workforce to help thwart active efforts to steal data, and impact critical cyber physical systems like water, gas, and electricity.”