CyManII, Tooling U-SME offer cybersecurity training to develop critical workforce skills across manufacturing sector

CyManII, Tooling U-SME offer cybersecurity training to develop critical workforce skills across manufacturing sector

The Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII) partnered with Tooling U-SME, a workforce training and development arm of SME, to launch a cybersecurity training program called CyManII Sealed. The initiative will work towards developing critical workforce skills to help secure U.S. manufacturing, endorse cybersecurity training that provides tools for manufacturers to secure their physical systems from cyber threats, and improve operational efficiency.

Tooling U-SME through the CyManII Sealed cybersecurity training program will provide the additional knowledge needed to prepare manufacturers for the growing vulnerabilities inherent in emerging operational and process technologies. The web-based training is presented in an engaging and interactive format for organizations of all sizes. 

Together, CyManII and Tooling U-SME will set a new benchmark for developing educational resources that remain current with rapidly changing cyber threats and democratizing access to training on cybersecurity awareness. As cyberattacks grow increasingly sophisticated and threat landscapes expand, organizations and their employees need to understand how to raise awareness and take actionable preventative measures to protect against the new vulnerabilities.

Tooling U-SME will provide immediate access to the industry’s industrial base and an extensive pipeline of future workers, delivering necessary cybersecurity training to thousands of OEMs, suppliers, and schools. The training material, with review and input from CyManII, America Makes (National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute) and CESMII (The Smart Manufacturing Institute), has also been supported by the U.S. Office of Naval Research. 

With increased adoptions of Industry 4.0 technologies, and the increased digital connectivity throughout our facilities, a fundamental understanding of cybersecurity is becoming more critical to preventing losses due to cyberattacks. Manufacturing is one of the 16 vital infrastructures identified by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and its strength and integrity are critical to national safety and security.

For the industry to securely compete globally, the workforce must be prepared and motivated. Leveraging Tooling U-SME’s training portfolio and extensive reach into industry and academia, CyManII Sealed will drive progress through transformational workforce development. Through this national collaboration, Tooling U-SME will become a key partner for CyManII, launching CyManII Sealed-approved training and setting a new standard in industry cybersecurity learning solutions for the manufacturing sector. 

“In the height of the Industry 4.0 transformation that the workforce is facing, it is imperative that Tooling U-SME and CyManII partner to provide learning solutions needed to develop a workforce that is trained and upskilled in the areas of operational technology and cybersecurity to protect our nation’s most vulnerable assets,” Ty Middleton, director of education and workforce development at CyManII, said in a media statement.  

“Cybersecurity is highly reliant on people. Preventing cyberattacks on our supply chain only works when everyone is a part of the solution. This is even more important in the context of our current skills gap,” Jeannine Kunz, chief workforce development officer at SME, said. “Our vision, as two nonprofit organizations, includes a focus on securing manufacturers from threats by equipping the industry with the necessary cybersecurity skills.” 

Last May, CyManII unveiled its broad vision for cybersecurity in U.S. manufacturing for the next five years, delivering awareness of the cyber risks associated with manufacturing processes. The CyManII Roadmap is targeted primarily at small and medium manufacturers (SMM), large manufacturers, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that supply large production industries, with a focus on delivering a ‘robust and aggressive pathway to transform the industry by making U.S. manufacturers the most cybersecure in the world.’

The Department of Defense (DoD) released earlier this month the 2023-2027 DoD Cyber Workforce (CWF) Strategy that sets the foundation for how the DoD will foster a cyber workforce capable of executing the Department’s complex and varied cyber missions. The DoD CWF Strategy will enable the DoD to close workforce development gaps, resource workforce management and development initiatives, stay at the forefront of technological advances, securely and rapidly deliver resilient systems, and transform into a data-centric enterprise with optimized workforce analytics.

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