Chapter 23: Training, Education, and Career Development¶

Chapter 23 addresses the human dimension of software supply chain security, recognizing that technical controls alone cannot protect organizations. The chapter provides comprehensive guidance on building security awareness, developing expertise, and creating career pathways in this emerging field.

The chapter begins with security awareness programs, emphasizing that effective training must go beyond checkbox compliance to create lasting behavior change. It presents a tiered curriculum framework spanning foundation, practitioner, specialist, and leadership levels, with audience-specific content for developers, DevOps engineers, managers, security teams, and executives. Multiple delivery methods are recommended, including e-learning, workshops, tabletop exercises, and capture-the-flag challenges, with guidance on measuring training effectiveness through reaction, learning, behavior, and outcome metrics.

Building supply chain security expertise requires deliberate skill development across security, development, and operations domains. The chapter outlines learning paths for both security professionals and developers seeking specialization, emphasizing mentorship, cross-training, and engagement with communities such as OpenSSF and OWASP. Internal communities of practice accelerate organizational capability development.

Security champions programs provide a scalable model for distributing security expertise throughout organizations. Champions are developers who receive additional security training and serve as bridges between their teams and central security functions. The chapter covers recruitment, training, time allocation, recognition, and program measurement.

Finally, the chapter maps the emerging career landscape in supply chain security, describing roles from analyst to director level. It provides guidance for both individuals building careers and hiring managers seeking talent in a field where few candidates have direct experience. The emphasis is on transferable skills, visible contributions, and continuous learning.