Deadline: Friday, May 24, 2024, by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
The Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate (RAMPS) Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Development (RAMPS Program) seeks to build multistakeholder workforce partnerships of employers, schools and institutions of higher education, and other community organizations. The specific goals of the RAMPS Program are to align the workforce needs of local business and non-profit organizations with the learning objectives of education and training providers conforming to the NICE Framework, increase the pipeline of students pursuing cybersecurity careers, upskill more Americans to move them into middle class jobs in cybersecurity, and support local economic development to stimulate job growth.
NIST Interagency Report (NISTIR) 8287: A Roadmap for Successful Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Build the Cybersecurity Workforce was published to provide a summary of the initial five pilot RAMPS communities.
Following the successful pilot program in 2016, in June 2023 and May 2024 NIST announced funding to establish new RAMPS Communities. NIST intends to announce the new awards in Spring and Fall of 2024.
RAMPS NOFO Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
2023 Funding Opportunity Announcement
2024 Funding Opportunity Announcement
RAMPS Pilot Communities One Pager
Southwest Region: Arizona Statewide Cyber Workforce Consortium
The Arizona Statewide Cyber Workforce Consortium, comprising Chicanos Por La Causa and Cyber Security Canyon, developed a unified approach to creating cybersecurity resources from a number of existing efforts. The partnership connected applicants from traditional and nontraditional training backgrounds to provide skilled workers for the growing number of cybersecurity positions in the region’s critical infrastructure segments including manufacturing, healthcare, and the defense industrial base.
Western Region: Cyber Prep Program
The Pikes Peak Community College Cyber Prep Program established a formal, sustainable partnership between secondary school districts, employers, and the college. The project helped build cybersecurity workforce development pathways to address local workforce needs. This included developing cybersecurity programs in area high schools and in the college’s Area Vocational Program, creating a summer cybersecurity work experiences for high school students, and utilizing registered apprenticeships to ensure a sustainable cybersecurity workforce for the future. View the Cyber Prep Program final RAMPS report
Central Region: Cincinnati-Dayton Cyber Corridor (Cin-Day Cyber)
The Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE) led the Cincinnati-Dayton Cyber Corridor RAMPS project. SOCHE members including the Air Force Institute of Technology, Dayton Development Coalition, University of Cincinnati, University of Dayton, and Wright State University worked with Cincinnati’s extensive commercial sector and Dayton’s large Department of Defense industry to provide a rich environment for higher education to address the complex workforce demands of cybersecurity. View the Cin-Day Cyber Corridor final RAMPS report.
Mid-Atlantic Region: Hampton Roads Cybersecurity Education, Workforce, and Economic Development Alliance (HRCyber)
The Old Dominion University’s Center for Cybersecurity Education and Research coordinated the Hampton Roads Cybersecurity Education, Workforce and Economic Development Alliance. The alliance included two community colleges, two large public-school districts, two universities, a large local private employer, a major federal research lab, and several small businesses. The project also benefited from the advocacy and support of both the City of Virginia Beach’s Economic Development Office and the Hampton Roads-based workforce initiative, Reinvent HR. View the HR Cyber final RAMPS report.
Northeast Region: The Partnership to Advance Cybersecurity Education and Training (PACET)
The Partnership to Advance Cybersecurity Education and Training, led by the State University of New York, Albany, aligned with the university’s goals to support science, education, and workforce capacity within the community. New York’s Capital Region has a unique workforce potential, with its range of higher education institutions and STEM graduates and growing advanced technology sectors. The project sought to build clear educational paths and increase regional workforce capacity for a range of potential careers in cybersecurity, based on industry needs. View the PACET final RAMPS report.