The Federal Cybersecurity Reskilling Academy
The Federal Cybersecurity Reskilling Academy offers Federal employees the opportunity for hands-on training in cybersecurity, one of the fastest growing fields in the country. This reskilling effort is part of the commitment to developing a Federal workforce of the 21st century. The inaugural class will be made up of current Federal employees who do not work in the IT field and will help them build foundational skills in the field of Cyber Defense Analysis.
Once accepted, Academy students will complete a three-month curriculum consisting of three training courses. The curriculum begins with a cyber essentials course that begins with an on-site workshop, followed by four weeks of follow-on learning, exercises, and exams. Students then attend a “bootcamp” course live for six full days, followed by two weeks of study and a certification exam. The final course is another “bootcamp,” followed by additional study and a final certification exam
Students who successfully pass the certification exam move on to the final course, which follows a similar timeline. Additionally, Academy participants may complete extracurricular activities and exercises to enhance their learning and skills development, such as online games, cyber competitions, and more. Participants will receive career mentorship and soft skills guidance to help them prepare for re-deploying into the cybersecurity workforce.
The Academy is a three-month training program, and will be a full-time commitment during the live, in-person trainings in Washington, DC. Participants will also be expected to spend the majority of their time in between live trainings working through online material, completing labs, and studying for certification exams. While individuals may work through the Academy on-demand materials at different speeds, we expect the Academy to be a full-time or nearly full-time commitment for the duration of the program. Applicants must work with their supervisor to ensure that they can fulfill the Academy requirements.
For the 2019 session applications will be reviewed throughout February and March 2019. Some applicants may be contacted by the admissions team with additional questions or for a brief interview. All applicants will be notified of the status of their application by April 1.
After completing the application, your USAJOBS profile will indicate that the application has been successfully submitted. Invitations to complete the assessment will be sent starting on February 19, 2019. Applicants will have until March 1, 2019, to complete the assessment.
Applications and assessment scores will be reviewed between March 4 and March 29. Final decisions will be communicated to each applicant by April 1.
The CIO Council is sponsoring a second pilot in 2019 that will be open to all Federal employees, including IT professionals. There may be additional pilots after that. The Council cannot guarantee that individuals who complete the Academy will be offered jobs; however, graduates will develop the necessary skills and certification to apply for cybersecurity positions at Federal agencies. The program team will provide coaching and guidance to graduates to complete competitive applications for these positions.
If I am not selected for the Academy, Applicants can improve their cybersecurity knowledge and skills with a variety of free resources available online to help build cybersecurity knowledge. Online learning platforms often offer free or low-cost content that learners can take on-demand, at their own pace. In addition, the Federal Virtual Training Environment (FedVTE), hosted by the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies, offers training for free to government personnel and veterans. https://niccs.us-cert.gov/training/federal-virtual-training-environment-fedvte
The Academy is offered at no cost to students. Individuals are responsible for obtaining their supervisors’ approval for participation and must comply with their agency’s specific policies related to training. The Academy does not cover travel costs. A laptop is required and each course provides detailed laptop requirements. Applicants are expected to bring their own laptop. Click on the links below to see laptop requirements.
SEC401: SANS Security Essentials https://www.sans.org/course/security-essentials-bootcamp-style#section_with_details_laptop_description
SEC504: Hacker Tools, Techniques, Exploits and Incident Handling https://www.sans.org/course/hacker-techniques-exploits-incident-handling#section_with_details_laptop_description
Applicants will need their supervisor’s approval to attend the Academy and will be required to include their supervisor’s contact information on the application. Applicants and their supervisor should discuss the requirements for this program and ensure that they are able to fulfill the requirements. Each applicant is responsible for working with their supervisor to ensure compliance with each agency’s policies.
The training courses will be held at the U.S. Department of Education’s Lyndon Baines Johnson building at 400 Maryland Ave SW in Washington, DC.
For more information on the Academy, please contact Reskilling.Academy@cio.gov