Government Cyber Skills Guide for State and Local IT

State and local government cybersecurity is under pressure like never before. Attacks on municipalities, exposed citizen data and stricter mandates are converging into a 2026 tipping point, according to the Center for Internet Security.

To stay ahead, agencies need a clear cybersecurity roadmap for government that focuses on people—not just tools. In simple terms, your plan should:

• Use cyber security training to build critical skills
• Map certifications like Security+, Network+, CySA+ and SecAI+ (coming in early 2026) to key roles.
• Show a realistic timeline from late 2025 through 2026.
• Take advantage of government training discounts and leftover 2025 employee development funds.

This guide walks through a step‑by‑step government cyber compliance roadmap so your agency can be more secure, compliant, and audit-ready for the new year.

What is a government cyber skills roadmap?

A government cyber skills roadmap is a structured plan that shows:

• Which cyber skills each role in your agency needs.

• Which cybersecurity certifications and training programs build those skills.

• When each group of employees should complete their training and exams.

For state and local agencies, this roadmap connects:

• Compliance requirements for local government.

• Realistic cybersecurity certification paths for IT and non‑IT staff.

• Budget cycles, including leftover 2025 training funds and government discounts.

Instead of one‑off courses, you get a clear cybersecurity road map that aligns people, budget, and risk.

Why your 2026 cyber plan should start now

Most public sector leaders know they need better security. The challenge is timing. There are three key reasons your government compliance training 2026 plan must begin before the current fiscal year ends.

Certifications and training take time

Even motivated staff need weeks or months to prepare for cybersecurity certifications:

If you wait until early 2026 to start, your employees may still be studying when audits, new regulations or cyber incidents occur.

Budget cycles can slow down progress

Many agencies have unused employee training funds that will expire at the end of the year. Those dollars can:

• Lock in online cybersecurity training and certification programs now.

• Purchase exam vouchers for multiple cybersecurity certifications (Security+, CySA+, etc.).

• Be combined with government training discounts to train more staff with the same budget. Use your government email when you purchase a voucher or training and your discount will be applied.

• Using funds now prevents your government cyber training programs from stalling in 2026.

Threats and audits won’t wait

Attackers target state and local agencies because:

• Systems often rely on legacy technology.
• Not all staff have mandatory security awareness training.
• Critical services, like utilities and public safety, are high‑value targets.
• Federal funding is limited for state and local agencies, leaving them more vulnerable.

At the same time, auditors increasingly ask about:

• Documented cyber and AI training for staff.
• Cyber risk management for public sector environments.
• Evidence of workforce development for government IT.

 

Launching your roadmap before the start of the new year shows proactive risk management and improves government audit readiness.

Core cyber skills every government agency needs

A strong cybersecurity certification roadmap for government blends technical and non‑technical skills. It should cover everyone from IT admins to business users who access sensitive systems.

Here are the core certifications to anchor your government cyber security training.

Security+ for Government Employees

• Best for: IT generalists, system administrators, security‑focused staff.
• Focus: Threats, vulnerabilities, access control, secure configurations.
• Benefits for agencies:
  • Supports ransomware prevention for municipalities.
  • Reduces common misconfigurations.
  • Shows baseline competency to auditors reviewing computer security certifications.
    
    

Security+ often acts as the foundation in many cybersecurity certification paths and ties directly into core information security certifications.

Network+ for Public Sector IT

• Best for: Network admins, infrastructure teams, help desk techs.
• Focus: Network operations, implementation, troubleshooting and security.
• Benefits for agencies:
• Stabilizes the infrastructure that supports citizen services.
• Helps prevent misconfigurations that attackers exploit.
• Aligns with IT system administrator career and network engineer career path.

Network+ is central to building skilled public sector IT teams that can secure complex networks.

CySA+ for State and Local Agencies

• Best for: Cybersecurity specialists, network engineer, senior IT staff.
• Focus: Threat detection, incident response, vulnerability management.
• Benefits for agencies:
  • Strengthens cybersecurity job roles focused on monitoring and response.
  • Provides skills to prevent cyber incidents.
    
    

CySA+ is especially important for agencies building or maturing a Security Operations Center (SOC).

SecAI+ for AI‑driven risk – coming Feb 2026!

• Best for: Security analysts, security architects, AI project owners.
• Focus: Securing AI systems, AI governance, AI‑enabled threats.
• Benefits for agencies:
  • Manages AI risk as agencies adopt new tools.
  • Helps build policies that meet security compliance expectations.
  • Shows auditors your agency is addressing new and emerging threats.
    
    

SecAI+ complements other cybersecurity compliance certifications by focusing directly on AI.

AI Prompting Essentials for Government Staff

• Best for: Business users, analysts, policy staff, managers.
• Focus: Safe and effective use of AI tools, prompt design, data handling.
• Benefits for agencies:
  • Reduces the chance staff will expose sensitive data in AI tools.
  • Improves productivity without sacrificing security.
  • Extends AI training for government staff to non‑technical roles.
    
    

This kind of certificate for AI use helps keep your entire workforce aligned with policy.

A Role‑Based Cybersecurity Certification Path for State and Local Staff

The most effective cybersecurity roadmap is role‑based. Not everyone needs the same credential, but everyone needs the right level of training.

Sample Role‑to‑Certification Mapping

Role	Key risks they own	Recommended certifications
IT Generalist / Sys Admin	Misconfigurations, access, patching	Security+; Network+
Network Administrator	Network outages, lateral movement, segmentation	Network+; Security+
SOC Analyst / Cyber Specialist	Threat detection, incident response	Security+; CySA+
Security / AI Architect	AI system risk, governance, advanced security	SecAI+; CySA+
Business User / Department Lead	Phishing, data mishandling, AI misuse	AI Prompting Essentials

This table helps you build a practical cybersecurity roadmap tied to real cybersecurity job titles and responsibilities.

How to use unused training funds and government discounts

 

You don’t need new budget to begin a strong cybersecurity certification roadmap. Use leftover 2025 training funds to purchase vouchers and training materials to use in 2026.

Result: You end 2025 with a funded, structured information security certificate plan instead of unused budget.

1. Confirm remaining training budget

Work with HR and finance to find:

• Central training funds
• Department‑specific education budgets
• Expiration dates and restrictions

2. Prioritize high‑impact certifications

Focus first on:

• Security+ for IT staff with admin rights.
• AI Prompting Essentials for AI‑using teams.
• Network+ and CySA+ for staff mapped to 2026 milestones.

This ensures your cybersecurity certifications support risk reduction, not just resume building.

3. Leverage government discounts

Government employees can use their government email address for discounted pricing on:

• CompTIA training
• Exam vouchers for Security+, Network+, CySA+, and more

These government training discounts help you scale government employee upskilling across departments.

4. Purchase for the new year

• Buy multi‑seat training licenses now.
• Purchase bulk exam vouchers aligned with your roadmap milestones.
• Protect against possible budget cuts in future years.
  
  

By acting now, you set up a predictable cybersecurity certification path through the next year.

How to get buy‑in from leadership

Even the best cybersecurity road map needs internal champions. Here’s how to get support.

CIO and CISO: strategy and risk

Highlight:

• Reduced incident risk and downtime.
• Stronger alignment with cyber strategy and cyber risk management for public sector.
• Better government audit readiness and fewer surprise findings

HR and training leaders: workforce development

Emphasize:

• Clear paths for workforce development for government IT
• Upskilling that supports promotion and retention
• Standardized cybersecurity certification expectations by role

Finance and budget owners: cost and ROI

Make the case with:

• Use‑it‑or‑lose‑it 2025 training funds
• Savings from government training discounts
• Costs of inaction: breach response, overtime, fines and reputational damage

Common questions about government cyber skills

Why should we start planning for 2026 compliance now?

Because state and local government cybersecurity threats and regulatory demands are increasing while training and exams take months to complete. Starting now uses current funds and gives your staff time to prepare for cybersecurity certification exams before 2026 deadlines.

Which cybersecurity certifications matter most for our agency?

For most agencies:

• Security+ – Core security skills for IT staff
• Network+ – Network fundamentals and troubleshooting
• CySA+ – Advanced detection and incident response
• AI Prompting Essentials – Safe AI use for non‑technical staff
• SecAI+ (coming in 2026) – AI security and governance

Together, they form a strong cybersecurity certification roadmap tailored to government needs.

How do we prove ROI to leadership?

Track:

• Fewer security incidents and faster response times
• Reduced unplanned downtime or citizen service disruptions
• Improved audit results and fewer corrective actions
• Stronger employee retention in key cyber roles

These outcomes show the value of structured government cybersecurity training.

Start your 2026 cyber skills roadmap today

Your agency’s 2026 readiness depends on the actions you take with 2025 funds.

By building a clear government cyber skills roadmap, mapping roles to the right cybersecurity certifications and using government training discounts, you can:

• Reduce cyber risk
• Improve audit and compliance outcomes
• Build a stronger, more confident workforce

Connect with CompTIA’s state and local government team to design your customized 2026 cybersecurity road map, confirm your eligibility for government discounts and choose the right training path—Security+, Network+, CySA+, SecAI+ and AI Prompting Essentials—for your staff.