Attracting, Training and Retaining STEM Talent

The chapter attended the panel discussion of educators assembled at AFCEA's Cyber Education, Research, and Training Symposium 2020 to discuss the following questions: Why has the U.S. ranking in STEM dropped from on top or near the top of STEM leadership over the past 15 years, and is there a correlation between STEM expertise and a failure to attract, train and retain STEM-related cybersecurity talent? Is the student population falling behind? Are the teachers not qualified? Or can it be attributed to something else? In order to attract, train and educate the workforce to meet cybersecurity needs of today, elementary and secondary school children need intelligent guidance into STEM-related fields.