Matt Hale
Program Director, MATRIX
Director, School of Interdisciplinary Informatics
Associate Professor of Cybersecurity
Scaling and UP-skilling the Nebraska cyber workforce with MATRIX:VECTR
Today
-
Challenges and Opportunities
-
WHat we are doing about it
-
Progress and Community Involvement
A Weitz Innovation and Excellence Funded Project
Living up to "from good to great"
Challenges and Opportunities
(AKA why should you care)
The challenge
Figure (c) 2023 Tech Target, Inc commissioned by Splunk
The Opportunity:
Workforce Development
-> Why Cant Companies close
the skill gap?
Unfortunately
-> Training IN CYBER Is HARD
- highly technical skills
- numerous tools
Figure (c) 2023 Tech Target, Inc commissioned by Splunk
Training in Cyber is Hard
- highly technical skills
- numerous tools
Training in Cyber is Hard
- highly technical skills
- numerous tools
Training in Cyber is Hard
- highly technical skills
- numerous tools
Training in Cyber is Hard
- highly technical skills
- numerous tools
Training in Cyber is Hard
- highly technical skills
- numerous tools
Training in Cyber is Hard
What we are doing about it
(AKA why I'm here to talk to you)
Growth of CYBR Degree Programs (more than TripleD in 12 years)
Why UNO? >NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations / Defense (CAE-CO/CD)
- UNO is one of just 21 institutions with this designation
- We are among good company (e.g. CMU, ASU, US Air force academy, Naval postgraduate school, Auburn)
- Only CAE-CO in the region (up to Dakota State)
Why UNO? >NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations / Defense (CAE-CO/CD)
- UNO is one of just 21 institutions with this designation
- We are among good company (e.g. CMU, ASU, US Air force academy, Naval postgraduate school, Auburn)
- Only CAE-CO in the region (up to Dakota State)
Ok...but what about
the workforce development Opportunity to upskill?
Novice
Expert
Companies want folks to be here
Folks start here
Skills in cybersecurity
Moving up the skill gradient requires knowledge and practice
Current CYBER workforce development Model
Novice
Current CYBER workforce development Model
Expert
Lanes of skill advancement
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
Skills in cybersecurity
Lanes of skill advancement
Class1
Class2
Class3
ClassN
undergrad degree
Class1
ClassM
graduate degree
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
Current CYBER workforce development Model
Novice
Expert
Skills in cybersecurity
Lanes of skill advancement
Class1
Class2
Class3
ClassN
undergrad degree
Class1
ClassM
graduate degree
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
Workshops / exercises
paired mentorship
experience
Current CYBER workforce development Model
Novice
Expert
Skills in cybersecurity
Lanes of skill advancement
Class1
Class2
Class3
ClassN
undergrad degree
Class1
ClassM
graduate degree
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
Workshops / exercises
paired mentorship
experience
stackable modules
credential (e.g. CISSP)
Current CYBER workforce development Model
Novice
Expert
Skills in cybersecurity
CYBER workforce development Model (observations)
Lanes of skill advancement
Class1
Class2
Class3
ClassN
undergrad degree
Class1
ClassM
graduate degree
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
Workshops / exercises
paired mentorship
experience
stackable modules
credential (e.g. CISSP)
siloed, not mutually exclusive
requires hands on experiences for attack/defend skills
Novice
Expert
Skills in cybersecurity
workforce development Model (observations)
Lanes of skill advancement
Class1
Class2
Class3
ClassN
undergrad degree
Class1
ClassM
graduate degree
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
Workshops / exercises
paired mentorship
experience
stackable modules
credential (e.g. CISSP)
+ works with real data
+ highest skill ceiling
- can take a long time
- prone to groupthink
- hard to generalize
+ recognized credential
+ general knowledge
+ less groupthink
+ pedagogy expertise
+ expert mentorship
- opportunity cost barrier
- 4-6 years of time
- less modular
- "book" vs "real world"
learning
+ flexible and modular
+ deliverable online
+ short time commitment
+ industry credentials
- hard to generalize
- lowest skill ceiling
- lacks depth
Novice
Expert
Skills in cybersecurity
But what if...
...We want all of this
Lanes of skill advancement
Class1
Class2
Class3
ClassN
undergrad degree
Class1
ClassM
graduate degree
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
Workshops / exercises
paired mentorship
experience
stackable modules
credential (e.g. CISSP)
+ works with real data
+ highest skill ceiling
- can take a long time
- prone to groupthink
- hard to generalize
+ recognized credential
+ general knowledge
+ less groupthink
+ pedagogy expertise
+ expert mentorship
- opportunity cost barrier
- 4-6 years of time
- less modular
- "book" vs "real world"
learning
+ flexible and modular
+ deliverable online
+ short time commitment
+ industry credentials
- hard to generalize
- lowest skill ceiling
- lacks depth
Novice
Expert
Skills in cybersecurity
from "Good to Great"
with A WEiTZ Innovation and EXcellence Fund Gift
This brings us to the
NebraskaCYBER MATRIX Project
and our Learning Platform (VECTR)
MATRIX: ML, AI, and Threat Response Initiative
for Cyber eXcellence in Nebraska
VECTR: Virtual Education for Cybersecurity, Threats, and Risk
Lanes of skill advancement
Class1
Class2
Class3
ClassN
undergrad degree
Class1
ClassM
graduate degree
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
Workshops / exercises
paired mentorship
experience
stackable modules
credential (e.g. CISSP)
Novice
Expert
Skills in cybersecurity
Reimagining workforce development in CYBER
Lanes of skill advancement
Class1
Class2
Class3
ClassN
undergrad degree
Class1
ClassM
graduate degree
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
Workshops / exercises
paired mentorship
experience
stackable modules
credential (e.g. CISSP)
Novice
Expert
Skills in cybersecurity
Reimagining workforce development in CYBER
Lanes of skill advancement
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
Novice
Expert
Skills in cybersecurity
Reimagining workforce development in CYBER
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
Reimagining workforce development in CYBER
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
Novice
Expert
Skills in cybersecurity
Lanes of skill advancement
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
Reimagining workforce development in CYBER
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
a new skill advancement enabler
#NebraskaCYBER MATRIX
Novice
Expert
Skills in cybersecurity
Reimagining workforce development in CYBER
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
a new skill advancement enabler
#NebraskaCYBER MATRIX
Breaking silos and serving all cyber training audiences
Novice
Expert
Skills in cybersecurity
Reimagining workforce development in CYBER
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
a new skill advancement enabler
Novice
Expert
Skills in cybersecurity
How can we serve everyone, regardless of their incoming ability levels?
Reimagining workforce development in CYBER
Higher education (academic degrees)
On the job training / Internships
Certificates and micro-credentials
a new skill advancement enabler
Novice
Expert
Skills in cybersecurity
Baseline cyber competency threshold
#NebraskaCYBER MATRIX
Security Competency Platform
(Codenamed VECTR)
a new skill advancement enabler
Novice
Expert
Skills in cybersecurity
Baseline cyber competency threshold
Reimagining workforce development in CYBER
#NebraskaCYBER MATRIX
Security Competency Platform
(Codenamed VECTR)
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
a new skill advancement enabler
Novice
Expert
Skills in cybersecurity
Baseline cyber competency threshold
Reimagining workforce development in CYBER
#NebraskaCYBER MATRIX
Security Operations Center (SOC)
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
#NebraskaCYBER MATRIX
Security Competency Platform
(Codenamed VECTR)
a new skill advancement enabler
Novice
Expert
Baseline cyber competency threshold
Reimagining workforce development in CYBER
#NebraskaCYBER MATRIX
Security Operations Center (SOC)
(Student Intern Academy)
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
Nano
module
#NebraskaCYBER MATRIX
Security Competency Platform
(Codenamed VECTR)
Skills in cybersecurity
Progress and
Community Involvement
(Oct'24-Jan.) Facility planning and Design
(Jun.) Facility Renovations started
(Apr.) Cyberengineer role filled
development/infrastructure setup began
(Aug. 25th): Room 02 completed
(Oct. 1) First analyst intern cohort
(Sep 19th.): SOC 01 completion
(Nov.) Grand opening and VECTR Launch
MATRIX SOC at PKI
*Graphic artist rendering
MATRIX SOC at PKI
*Graphic artist rendering
MATRIX SOC at PKI
*Graphic artist rendering
MATRIX SOC at PKI
*Graphic artist rendering
VECTR Learning Platform
VECTR Learning Platform
nebraskamatrix.com
Questions?
©2025 Matthew L. Hale / MATRIX
Matt Hale, PHD
Program Director, MATRIX
Associate Professor, Cybersecurity
Director, School of Interdisciplinary Informatics
Director, NebraskaCYBER
mlhale@unomaha.edu
NebraskaCYBER MATRIX 9-9
By Matt Hale
NebraskaCYBER MATRIX 9-9
NebraskaCYBER Center vision
