The Future of Innovation is Here

Virginia is leading efforts to address the country’s talent gap. The Commonwealth has the second-largest cyber workforce in the U.S., with demand continuing to grow. Between September 2023 and August 2024, Virginia employers sought to fill 51,005 cybersecurity jobs, and that number is only expected to rise, according to CyberSeek.

In an increasingly digital world where data breaches, ransomware attacks, and other cybercrimes are pervasive, a skilled cybersecurity workforce is more important than ever. Yet the industry grapples with a significant worker shortage. Globally, there are an estimated 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs, including nearly 500,000 vacancies in the United States, according to research firm Cybersecurity Ventures. At the same time, a large talent pool is being underutilized: female professionals.

In Northern Virginia, George Mason University created the first cybersecurity engineering major in the country, which helps support its bustling C5I center. The major launched with 105 students 10 years ago. A decade later, 800 students are enrolled in what is now a department, and interest continues to increase unabated. 

Governor Glenn Youngkin announced a new initiative led by Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) that expands investment and growth opportunities with the launch of the Starburst National Landing Launchpad (SNL Launchpad).

The Commonwealth of Virginia and Google to collaborate on providing free and low-cost artificial intelligence certification courses to residents of Virginia.

Virginia’s Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) is devising innovative solutions to these emerging threats. Launched in 2020, CCI is a state-funded program that collaborates with businesses, higher education institutions, and local governments to support research, innovation, and workforce development in cybersecurity across the region.

“The question is how to best mobilize and use AI to support proactive protection. We’ll see greater reliance on AI to augment what I would call cyber defensive capabilities, how to repel threats before they happen, using AI to be proactive."