Tomorrow’s Cyber Talents Might Already Work In-House
Filling cybersecurity and IT positions is, for many governments, a long-standing challenge. At NASCIO, Montana CIO Kevin Gilbertson explains his state’s successful strategy of hiring and training up applicants from other government agencies.
NEW ORLEANS — It’s no secret that state governments often struggle to compete against deep-pocketed private companies for cybersecurity recruits.
But Montana is finding that an internal recruitment can go a long way. When its IT division opened up positions to people with interest but without experience, it found plenty of applicants from other agencies who wanted a career change, CIO Kevin Gilbertson said, during the National Association of State Chief Information Officers’ (NASCIO) 2024 Annual Conference this week.
“We taught them the technology side, they were used to the government and they also spoke the language of business,” Gilbertson said.
This strategy is helping address skills gaps, alongside efforts to promote state government as a first and last career destination. Gilbertson sees the state IT team as a valuable place for new professionals to gain experience and kickoff careers. It’s also a place to transition to, for those who have spent a while in the private sector, and to support a public service mission as a late-stage career move.
Jule Pattison-Gordon is a senior staff writer for Governing and former senior staff writer for Government Technology, where she'd specialized in cybersecurity.Jule also previously wrote for PYMNTS and The Bay State Banner and holds a B.A. in creative writing from Carnegie Mellon. She’s based outside Boston.
Noelle Knell is the executive editor for e.Republic, responsible for setting the overall direction for e.Republic’s editorial platforms, including <i>Government Technology</i>, <i>Governing</i>, <i>Industry Insider, Emergency Management</i> and the Center for Digital Education. She has been with e.Republic since 2011, and has decades of writing, editing and leadership experience. A California native, Noelle has worked in both state and local government, and is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with majors in political science and American history.
