The United States, Australia and the United Kingdom formalized a trilateral security partnership poised to grow demand for Virginia-built submarines. 

T.R.U. Ball/AXCEL Archery uses VEDP trade programs to reach Olympians from its Amherst County home.

VEDP President and CEO Jason El Koubi spoke with Virginia Manufacturers Association President and CEO Brett Vassey about the group's work supporting manufacturing operations and the key skills and sites the industry needs for a successful future. 

Drake Goolsby is chief commercialization officer at Luna Labs, a Charlottesville-based company that helps develop advanced technologies in biotech, advanced materials, and engineered systems for government, military, and industrial clients. VEDP Vice President of Manufacturing Sneha Atwal spoke with Goolsby about Luna Labs’ research activities.

Virginia’s critical infrastructure is by and large a hardened fortress built on best practices and the talents of among the most forward-thinking workforces in the nation. But more than that, it’s gaining ground when it comes to hardening its critical infrastructure out of the gates — embracing a cyber-first development approach to systems and solutions.

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. 

Virginia's proximity to the federal government and the wealth of private technology leaders headquartered in the Commonwealth have helped its workforce rise to the forefront of the cybersecurity industry. It boasts the second largest cybersecurity workforce in the country, with approximately 80,000 cybersecurity professionals operating within the Commonwealth. Yet Virginia is also home to a unique asset that provides its businesses with a secure operating environment and access to singular skill sets that they can’t develop in-house.

In Northern Virginia, GMU 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. 

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.

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.