I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2721 
To establish a grant program within the Department of Labor to support 
the creation, implementation, and expansion of registered apprenticeship 
programs in cybersecurity. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 14, 2019 
Mrs. LEE of Nevada (for herself, Ms. STEFANIK, Ms. SPANBERGER, and Mr. 
RIGGLEMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To establish a grant program within the Department of 
Labor to support the creation, implementation, and ex-
pansion of registered apprenticeship programs in cyberse-
curity. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cyber Ready Work-
force Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) According to Georgetown University’s Cen-
ter on Education and the Workforce, by 2020, the 
United States is projected to experience a shortage 
of 5,000,000 workers with postsecondary education 
or training, including vocational certificates and ap-
prenticeship training. 
(2) Registered apprenticeships strengthen the 
Nation’s economy, create pathways to good-paying 
careers, and help meet the Nation’s current work-
force demands. 
(3) Apprenticeships can help fill the Nation’s 
workforce needs, including in fields not traditionally 
linked to apprenticeships, such as cybersecurity. 
(4) The cybersecurity field has a severe short-
age in talent, with over 300,000 job openings today, 
according to CyberSeek, an interactive cybersecurity 
jobs heat map funded by the Department of Com-
merce’s National Institute of Standards and Tech-
nology (NIST). 
(5) Employers, especially in cybersecurity and 
information technology fields, may be unfamiliar 
with the apprenticeship model or do not have the ca-
pacity or resources to develop and implement their 
own training. 
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SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.— 
The term ‘‘registered apprenticeship program’’ 
means a program registered under the Act of Au-
gust 16, 1937 (commonly known as the ‘‘National 
Apprenticeship Act’’; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.). 
(2) WORKFORCE
INTERMEDIARY.—The term 
‘‘workforce intermediary’’ means an entity that fa-
cilitates the establishment of registered apprentice-
ship programs, and may be a partnership that in-
cludes one or more of the following as partners: 
(A) A business or industry organization. 
(B) A community-based organization, as 
defined in section 3201(5) of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7801(5)). 
(C) A State or local workforce development 
board, as such terms are defined in section 3 of 
the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(29 U.S.C. 3102). 
(D) A postsecondary education institution 
with experience in developing and administering 
registered apprenticeship programs. 
(E) A joint labor-management partnership. 
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(F) An institution of higher education, as 
defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 
(G) A nonprofit organization. 
SEC. 4. CYBERSECURITY APPRENTICESHIP GRANT PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor shall 
award grants, on a competitive basis, to workforce inter-
mediaries, to support the establishment, implementation, 
and expansion of registered apprenticeship programs in 
cybersecurity. 
(b) DESCRIPTION
OF PROGRAMS ELIGIBLE.—For 
purposes of subsection (a), registered apprenticeship pro-
grams in cybersecurity shall include technical instruction, 
workplace training, and industry-recognized certification 
in cybersecurity. Programs shall— 
(1) 
include 
certifications 
in 
CompTIA 
Network+, CompTIA A+, CompTIA Security+, 
Microsoft Windows 10 Technician, Microsoft Cer-
tified System Administrator, Certified Network De-
fender, Certified Ethical Hacker, ISACA Cybersecu-
rity Nexus (CSX), (ISC)2’s Certified Information 
Systems Security Professional (CISSP), or other in-
dustry-recognized certification in cybersecurity; 
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(2) encourage stackable and portable creden-
tials; and 
(3) lead to occupations such as computer sup-
port specialists, cybersecurity support technicians, 
cloud computing architects, computer programmers, 
computer systems analysts, or security specialists. 
SEC. 5. USE OF FUNDS. 
(a) REQUIRED
ACTIVITIES.—A workforce inter-
mediary shall use at least 85 percent of the amount of 
grant funds received under this Act for the following: 
(1) DEVELOPMENT
AND
TECHNICAL
SUP-
PORT.—Complete the apprenticeship registration 
process with the Department of Labor, and assist 
employers with other logistical and technical issues. 
(2) EMPLOYER PARTNERSHIP.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Develop curricula and 
technical instruction for the registered appren-
ticeship program in cooperation with local busi-
nesses, organizations, and employer-partners, 
referencing the work roles and tasks outlined in 
the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Edu-
cation (NICE) Cybersecurity Workforce Frame-
work Special Publication 800–181 to develop 
skills and standards for the program. 
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(B) OFFSITE TRAINING.—Assist employers 
in paying for the cost of offsite training and ac-
quiring course materials provided to appren-
tices. 
(C) CONNECTING
EMPLOYERS.—Connect 
employers with education and training providers 
to complement on-the-job learning. 
(3) SUPPORT SERVICES FOR APPRENTICES.— 
Provide support services to apprentices to assist with 
their success in the registered apprenticeship pro-
gram, which may include the following: 
(A) Career counseling. 
(B) Mentorship. 
(C) Assisting with costs of transportation, 
housing, and child care services. 
(b) ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES.—A workforce inter-
mediary may use up to 15 percent of the amount of grant 
funds received under this Act for the following outreach 
and marketing activities: 
(1) Market apprenticeships and the apprentice-
ship model to employers, secondary school adminis-
trators, and counselors. 
(2) Recruit and conduct outreach to potential 
apprentices, including secondary school students, 
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underrepresented populations (such as women and 
minorities), youth, and veterans. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated, such sums 
as may be necessary to carry out this Act. 
Æ 
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