As the second cohort of the experimental Federal Reskilling Academy prepares to graduate in September, two members from the first cohort—which graduated in July—spoke with reporters about what they learned during the 13-week course and what these new skills will mean for their careers.
While both reskilling graduates agreed their new skills are invaluable—in both their personal and professional lives—the training has not translated into new jobs, one of the main promises of the effort.
When Federal Chief Information Officer Suzette Kent announced the reskilling academy in November 2018, the stated goal of the first cohort was to train non-IT employees as cyber defense analysts who could then be transferred to IT-specific roles. The federal government has a critical shortage of cybersecurity professionals and the academy was meant to be one way of filling those positions with internal hires.
Two graduates from the first cohort—who OMB made available to reporters during a roundtable Wednesday—lauded the course as an exceptional learning experience but said, for the time being, they will continue working in their current positions.
Mary Gabriel, who works in acquisition with the U.S. Coast Guard, said the training in the basics of computing, networking and programming has given her a much better understanding of what goes into an IT system, and her certification in incident response helps her see things from both the attacking and defending perspective.
For instance, mitigating potential cybersecurity weaknesses on a Coast Guard Cutter means carefully weighing costs and risks, Gabriel said. Having a better understanding of the real work that goes in ..
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