The SANS Cyber Workforce Academy has opened applications for an expanded Maryland training program that now includes dedicated ICS/OT and AI security tracks for career changers and IT professionals across the state. Applications opened on June 1 for the grant-funded initiative, which aims to help address growing cybersecurity workforce shortages. The expansion comes as the SANS 2026 Cybersecurity Workforce Research Report identifies the skills gap as the industry’s leading workforce challenge, with 27% of organizations reporting that staffing shortages directly contributed to security breaches.
Beginning June 1, 2026, eligible Maryland residents can apply for the SANS Cyber Workforce Academy, now in its sixth program cycle since launching in 2018. Supported by the Maryland Department of Labor through the EARN Maryland grant, the 2026-2027 program offers free training across three pathways: the existing core track, a new ICS/OT security track and a new AI security track for incumbent IT and cybersecurity professionals. Applications for all three tracks remain open through June 30, 2026.
“This investment reflects Maryland’s understanding of what’s at stake. The challenge across the industry is lack of clarity: which training, which credentials, which skills actually match what employers need,” Rob T. Lee, chief AI officer and chief of research at SANS Institute, detailed in a media statement. “This program provides that path for a state that sits at the intersection of national security, critical infrastructure, and emerging technology. Get the training right, and you build a workforce that can actually defend it.”
The program spans three tracks, each built for a different point of entry into the field.
The Core Cybersecurity Track serves unemployed individuals and career changers with limited prior cybersecurity work experience, continuing the existing Academy model that has placed more than 310 Marylanders into cybersecurity roles since the program launched in 2018.
Additionally, the ICS/OT Security Track prepares career changers and incumbent workers for roles defending critical infrastructure. Prior cybersecurity experience is encouraged; relevant technical or industrial background is required. The AI Security Track is designed for incumbent IT and cybersecurity professionals building competency in AI-focused security roles.
SANS Cyber Academies program data shows 87% of graduates across its programs land a cybersecurity role within 12 months. Tim Nordvedt is one of them. Working two full-time jobs in his late 30s with no cybersecurity background, he enrolled in the Academy, looking for a different path. The technical training was only part of it: interview prep, networking support, and career coaching rounded out his preparation. Today, he serves as Director of North American Solutions Architects in cybersecurity.
All training is delivered virtually to support statewide participation, including working adults, veterans, military spouses, individuals from under-resourced communities, and those with caregiving responsibilities. The program runs from summer 2026 through spring 2027 and is designed to support 60 or more participants.
Each participant receives SANS technical training and course materials, GIAC certification attempts, hands-on lab and cyber range access, student advising and subject matter expert mentorship, and career services, including employer engagement. Participation is funded by the Maryland Department of Labor through the EARN Maryland workforce development grant. Seats are limited.
Applications open Monday, June 1, 2026, and close Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
