'That Generation Of Americans Is Not Interested In Working': Higgins Laments 'Disconnected Youth'

3 months ago

During a House Homeland Security Committee hearing prior to the Congressional recess, Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) questioned witnesses about workforce shortages and cyber security.

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Transcript

00:00I now recognize the gentleman from Louisiana, Mr. Higgins, for five minutes of questions.

00:05Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Peterson, according to your background, sir, you are our education

00:16specialist here. We're clearly facing a challenge in filling the roles that our nation needs,

00:28in cyber security and the cyber tech performance realm.

00:39The workforce challenges across every industry are quite significant, including

00:48health care and manufacturing. I mean, we can't get enough welders, so it should be no surprise

00:55in a nation that is noted for its work ethic. If we can't get enough welders,

01:00we're probably going to have problems getting enough cyber workers.

01:06Are you familiar with what the term is being called, the disconnected youth or the disconnected

01:12generation? For the benefit of Americans tuning in, we're talking about an alarmingly large

01:20percentage of what's referred to as Gen Z that is neither working nor in school. Traditionally,

01:29historically, that was the deal. As you became a young adult American, you went to work or you

01:36went to school. In some cases, you did both. So if this is the generation, that's the demographic

01:49that we would seek to fill cyber positions from. If that generation of Americans is not

01:57interested in working or going to school, how are we going to pull them into training?

02:03Do you have some insight into that? Then I have a follow-up question for you, sir.

02:08Thank you for the question. I am very familiar with that demographic, also known as opportunity

02:14youth. They're 18 to 25-year-olds who, as you said, either didn't complete their education

02:19or are currently unemployed. I think that is one of many populations that we consider underserved

02:25or underrepresented that we need to target and lift up. You know, this is not a problem that's

02:30solved just by, you know, getting rid of four-year degrees. We need people with two-year degrees,

02:35four-year degrees, but we also need to address the needs of that population you described

02:39who need mentoring, they need opportunities. Registered apprenticeships, as we've already

02:44talked about, may be a great foot in the door for them to get some workplace experience and

02:49have a job opportunity. But that is a very much critical population, not only for cybersecurity,

02:54but for other skilled trades that we need across the country to make sure we're helping

02:59support those individuals. So with your background and education and your position with the National

03:07Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, what would you recommend to Congress, sir, and to this

03:16committee? How could the legislative branch use Article I authorities to work with our sovereign

03:24states and our educational institutions at every level, certificate and collegiate level,

03:32educational opportunities for this generation of Americans that we're going to have to rely upon

03:42to get engaged in the cyber workforce? What would you recommend? Yeah, so I would start with

03:48think locally, and you authorized NIST to give these grants called regional alliances and

03:54multi-stakeholder partnerships to stimulate cybersecurity education and workforce development

04:00in your communities. We gave out 18 grants this past year. We're about to announce 15

04:05more community grants. Say that again, please, sir. You gave out what? 18 grants this past fiscal

04:11year, and we're about to announce 15 more based on an appropriation from the Congress. But this

04:16really brings local communities together, local schools, local community colleges, universities,

04:22training organizations, non-profits, economic development organizations, even individuals like

04:28yourself to make sure you're addressing the needs of local employers in your locality or region. So

04:34a lot of what we're talking about is at the national level, which is great resources,

04:38but where the rubber really meets the road is in your districts, in your communities. And that

04:42grant program, much like the ecosystem work that's described in the National Cyber

04:47Workforce and Education Strategy, is about strengthening local ecosystems.

04:51Thank you, sir, for your very insightful answer. I concur, Mr. Chairman. We have to work at the

04:56sovereign state and local level within the states to address the cyber workforce challenge. Thank

05:02you, sir.

'That Generation Of Americans Is Not Interested In Working': Higgins Laments 'Disconnected Youth'

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