OVERVIEW & GOALS

CONFERENCE OVERVIEW

The growth of cybersecurity jobs continues to be a tremendous opportunity across both the public and private sectors. The current talent pool of cybersecurity workers is not sufficient to fill the available jobs, so students must be informed and encouraged to pursue this exciting career through cybersecurity education for all.

The Annual NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference, supported by NICE, and hosted by iKeepSafe, features timely and thought-provoking presentations that highlight effective collaborations, bold experiments and innovations, and other potentially game-changing methods in support of growing the cybersecurity workforce. Attendees include training and educational leaders from academia, business, and government for two days of focused keynotes, panels, concurrent sessions, and discussions in support of the NICE Strategic Plan.

CONFERENCE GOALS

The NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference follows the goals set by the NICE organization:

Goal 1: Promote the Discovery of Cybersecurity Careers and Multiple Pathways

Goal 2: Transform Learning to Build and Sustain a Diverse and Skilled Workforce

Goal 3: Modernize the Talent Management Process to Address Cybersecurity Skills Gaps

Goal 4: Expand Use of the Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework)

Goal 5: Drive Research on Effective Practices for Cybersecurity Workforce Development

CONFERENCE AUDIENCE

CONFERENCE STATISTICS

The 2023 NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference, held in Phoenix, Arizona on December 4-5, was a sold-out event with over 550 registrants, 100+ speakers and panelists, 85 sessions, 35 exhibitor tables, 150 discussion board topics, 30 attendee meetups, 6 keynotes, 16 workshops, 10 Birds of a Feather meetups, and 1 Capture the Flag competition.

CONFERENCE TRACKS

Track 1: Increasing Cybersecurity Career Awareness

Track 2: Engaging Students Where Disciplines Converge

Track 3: Stimulating Innovative Cybersecurity Educational Approaches

Track 4: Promoting Cybersecurity Career Pathways

Track 5: Promoting Cyber Awareness

CONFERENCE HOSTS

The Internet Keep Safe Coalition© (iKeepSafe), as the Grantee of the NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference, has hosted the event for the past 9 years.

The iKeepSafe mission is to provide a safe digital landscape for children, schools, and families by supporting the protection of student privacy, while advancing learning in a digital culture. To support this mission, we provide data privacy certifications to technology companies, educational resources to schools, and information to the community.

iKeepSafe was founded by Jacalyn S. Leavitt, former First Lady of Utah, in 2005. Over the past decade, iKeepSafe has evolved into a leading organization trusted internationally by families, schools, educators, and the education technology and cybersecurity industries.

CONFERENCE SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION

NICE, led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the U.S. Department of Commerce, is a partnership between government, academia, and the private sector focused on cybersecurity education, training, and workforce development. Located in the Information Technology Laboratory at NIST, the NICE Program Office operates under the Applied Cybersecurity Division, positioning the program to support the country’s ability to address current and future cybersecurity challenges through standards and best practices.

The mission of NICE is to energize and promote a robust network and an ecosystem of cybersecurity education, training, and workforce development. NICE fulfills this mission by coordinating with government, academic, and industry partners to build on existing successful programs, facilitate change and innovation, and bring leadership and vision to increase the number of skilled cybersecurity professionals helping to keep our Nation secure.