While not every certification is created equal, some certifications tend to rise to the top over time, forming industry standards. With the DoD 8570, the demand for IT certifications has grown. The recent 2021 Security Clearance Compensation Report showed that 49% of cleared professionals have at least one certification. The key to that certification is that it validates the knowledge and experience on a resume. It signals to recruiters not only that a candidate is worth the salary requirements, but also that their resume can be confidently used in the proposal process. CompTIA Security+ was the most commonly selected certification, as it is a baseline certification in the cybersecurity field. It’s also no surprise that Six Sigma and PMP also made the list top 10 list. When it comes to managing IT contracts, having IT credentials and project management skills is key to on-time and in scope delivery. While education is still important to see on a resume most of the time, certifications continue to rise. A key piece in the conversation is whether it’s better to higher a candidate without a certification and then make the investment into their certifications, or is it better to higher a cleared and certified candidate and pay a competitive wage right away. Decisions, decisions.
Layoffs Impacting the Cleared Industry
| Bath Iron Works |
While nothing is set in stone, Bath Iron Works says that it will have to cut 2,500 workers if they don’t get a a multiyear order for more Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks took a visit to the shipyard this past week. Company leaders pushed for another order from the Pentagon in order for production to continue at a steady state. “The punchline you’ll see is there’s no overlap between the current projected end of the [Arleigh Burke] program and the start of DDG(X),” said Jon Mason, the shipyard’s vice president for human resources told Defense One. “And the challenges that that will create from an industrial base standpoint is what we really wanted to convey in these discussions here today.” |
|---|
Hiring impacting the Cleared Industry
| Raytheon | Raytheon makes investments for the future of the workforce with its Raytheon Technologies Endowed Graduate Fellowship Fund at the University of Colorado Boulder’s College of Engineering and Applied Science.
“The next generation of engineers are the key to continuing our robust space solutions offerings,” said Paul Meyer, vice president, Space & C2 Systems at RI&S. “The partnership with CU Boulder is a critical step toward supporting future innovation in the aerospace and defense arena.” The Raytheon Intelligence & Space has 155 open positions in Colorado. And with the recent RI&S award in El Segundo, CA on a $171.6 million contract to produce Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band attack systems for the U.S. Navy, Colorado may not be the only place that Raytheon is looking for cleared talent. Raytheon currently has over 6,000 employees at its El Segundo, CA facility. |
|---|
Cleared Employer at Work: Amazon
Come support the mission in a bold new way with a career at AWS. Discover a role that’s right for you. Explore opportunities.
Opportunity to Watch
While it may seem like user experience is just about making technology a little easier on the eyes, it’s more about improving usability. All too often, functions are added because they’re available or systems are developed without really thinking how the end user will interact with it. Companies like Visual Logic provide expertise on the user experience (UX), which is key in DoD systems where robotics, drones, and cybersecurity dashboards are involved. In situations that require a rapid response and technology interaction, the UX needs to be intuitive. Complicated systems and fast-paced environments require a different approach. Just because an end user can access all the information all at once, doesn’t mean that they need to see every option. Streamlining the look and feel of DoD systems will only strengthen national security. As technology capabilities continue to grow, increasing the amount of data to sift through, finding better ways to organize and visually display data can be a game changer in assessing and responding to threats.
To find out the certifications that paid the highest compensation, download the Top 10 Certifications for Cleared Professionals report.
