Our Mission

The mission of the NCL is to prepare the next generation of cybersecurity professionals by providing high school and college students, as well as their coaches, an online, safe platform of real-world cybersecurity challenges. We build pathways for students that lead to successful career placements in the cybersecurity field.

Our History

In 2011, a group of cybersecurity-focused academics from several public agencies got together and created an innovative way for students to apply what they were learning in class. It would be important to reduce barriers and excite young people to participate. Students would have easy access, no matter what their age, skill level or location - the NCL Competition was born. It would be a competitive game and it would simulate real-life cyberthreats in a safe environment.

Five members came together to create the National Cyber League, Inc. a 501(c)3 non-profit. They are:

• Cyber Security Privacy and Research Institute (CSPRI) - George Washington University
• Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance (CSSIA)
• CyberWatch West (Now NCYTE Center)
• Mid-Pacific Information and Communication Technologies (MPICT) Center
• National CyberWatch Center

Number of NCL Players Through the Years

Since 2015, The National Cyber League, Inc has partnered with Cyber Skyline, Inc. to develop, host, and operate the NCL Competition. In that time, the NCL Competition has grown to serve more than 10,000 students annually, representing over 500 colleges and high schools across the U.S.

NCL Diversity and Inclusion Statement

The National Cyber League believes that building a resilient cybersecurity workforce also requires building a diverse and inclusive workforce. The systemic challenges to increasing diversity within the cyber workforce are the same challenges that limit the growth of the workforce as a whole.

Our approach to tackling these workforce challenges is to change the status quo within the talent acquisition process by:

1. Advocating for the industry to shift towards skills-based hiring over experience-based hiring
2. Providing tools for talent acquisition teams to understand an individual’s demonstrated capabilities so they may reduce their reliance on resumes
3. Creating a community where talent acquisition teams can connect with individuals that aren’t reached through traditional hiring events

The majority of students within the NCL come from community colleges and lesser-known universities. Despite their capabilities, the students from these institutions often have fewer opportunities to connect with talent acquisition teams and are often overlooked during the resume screening process. These are the students we serve - they come from a diverse set of backgrounds including gender, race, ethnicity, education, and socioeconomic status.

The students who participate in the NCL gain practical experience solving real-world challenges and earn a Scouting Report that provides evidence of their capabilities to potential employers. These benefits are uniquely valuable to individuals that are traditionally underrepresented within the cybersecurity industry. Our efforts to deliver these benefits is the primary way that we strive to improve diversity within the workforce.

We are always looking to partner with other organizations who share our mission and vision of building a diverse workforce. Please connect with our team if you are interested in partnering together. Some ways that we collaborate with partners include:

1. Encourage participation from underrepresented groups
2. Develop funds to provide scholarships and financial assistance
3. Create professional development opportunities to set students up for career success
4. Host webinars and networking events to advocate for changes in the talent acquisition processes to increase diversity