Strengthening Workforce Education: Excellence in Programming Securely (SWEEPS)

Abstract

This paper presents and advocates for an initiative to expand access to secure programming education. The Strengthening Workforce Education: Excellence in Programming Securely (SWEEPS) initiative, funded by the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program, seeks to advance secure programming and help achieve security aims. SWEEPS establishes a secure programming curriculum and workforce development coalition of seven institutions across two CAE (Center of Academic Excellence) regions (Northeast and Southwest) and five states (California, Massachusetts, Maryland, Indiana, and North Carolina). This coalition includes industry-based stakeholders collaborating with the US Army and government agencies on various projects. SWEEPS draws on prior work establishing critical concepts in secure programming, assessment tools, learning aids, and system infrastructure. The initiative offers a series of interconnected, stackable learning experiences tailored for early to mid-career professionals looking to enhance their cybersecurity skills. These experiences, which include practical one-day workshops and comprehensive year-long graduate certificates, provide a reassuring path for upskilling in secure programming. This paper recommends the efficacy of stackable training approaches in secure programming by exploring the practices of targeting and training individuals with diverse proficiency levels of programming experience who would benefit from increased knowledge and training.