Summary

Requires the Director of NIST to build, maintain, and update national workforce frameworks for critical and emerging technologies — such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and quantum — and to report progress and deliverables to Congress. The frameworks must map technical and support roles, list professional skills, offer guidance for people with nontraditional backgrounds, include multilingual and age‑inclusive materials, and be developed with stakeholder consultation. Sets timelines for assessments and specific deliverables (including an AI workforce framework), requires sharing cybersecurity career resources for all age groups, and directs NIST to produce and update these materials on an ongoing basis so employers, educators, training programs, and workers can use consistent guidance for hiring, training, and career pathways.

Key Points

• NIST must create and maintain workforce frameworks for critical/emerging technologies including cybersecurity, AI, and quantum.
• An AI-specific workforce framework and other deliverables must be produced on set timelines and updated periodically.
• Frameworks must enumerate technical and support roles, professional skills, and competency descriptions.
• Guidance must address people with nontraditional backgrounds to ease entry into technology careers.
• NIST must consult industry, academia, training providers, and other stakeholders during development.
• Materials must be available in multiple languages and include cybersecurity career resources for all ages.
• NIST must report assessments and progress to Congress according to specified timelines.
• The law standardizes role and skill definitions to help employers, educators, and workforce programs align training and credentialing.

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