The Department of Homeland Security is focused on hiring cybersecurity professionals faster with its Cyber Talent Management System. The goal for DHS is an increase in flexibility when it comes to hiring – something the federal government often struggles with. Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas noted at the recent Black Hat computer security conference that DHS is aiming to compete with the private sector for cyber talent. Increase pay and shorter hiring timelines should peak candidate interest, as well as get them in and contributing faster, according to Jen Easterly, director at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Easterly has zeroed in on hiring cyber professionals for the agency, with plans to offer cyber scholarships and training for federal employees. Shaking systems up can go a long way to meeting hiring goals that typically are seemingly unreachable in the federal government.
Layoffs Impacting the Cleared Industry
| Alloy Surfaces Company Inc. | Aerospace and defense firm, Alloy Surfaces Company Inc. plans to lay off 63 workers. They are located in Delaware County, and according to the filing to the state, the layoffs will start this October. While the Pennsylvania facility will remain open, the layoffs are expected to be permanent. Alloy Surfaces is a subsidiary of Chemring Group PLC. |
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| Xsolla | And while this layoff would be a little out of the ordinary in an American organization, anything goes in the gaming industry and in Russia. Xsolla has allegedly laid off up to 150 employees. What’s most notable is their layoff tactic. The organization used a big data analysis of employee productivity, and with plans to reduce the workforce by 10%, they selected the employees with the lowest productivity numbers on the totem pole. This methodology will probably help to trim more staff, if that was the organization’s aim. |
Hiring impacting the Cleared Industry
| EMTAK LLC |
EMTAK is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) headquartered in Elkridge, MD, providing engineering services to the defense and IC sector. The company has openings for everything from a technical writer to a RedHat Systems Administrator. Check out their website or reach out to a recruiter on ClearanceJobs. |
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Cleared Employer at Work: Jacobs
Jacobs has 52,000 employees across 50 countries working every day, challenging the expectations of today to reinvent the way we’ll all live tomorrow. Join their team.
Opportunity to Watch
The Cisco Networking Academy has offered education services to millions of people around the world for 23 years. They’ve worked with thousands of affiliated academies and institutions in an effort to offer more IT careers to more people. This time, Cisco has launched Skills for All, which is a free, mobile-first program. It’s a gamified learning experience, complete with self-paced courses and interactive tools. The free IT education opportunity also provides career resources – all designed by industry experts. Have an internet-connected mobile phone? Then you can sign up for IT courses with Skills for All.
Cisco wants to connect learners of all kinds and increase digital skills in the next five years. And they know that while knowledge is power, it’s not the only goal. In order to get jobs, it means connections and certifications as well. Cisco also provides a job matching engine, employment partners, alumni connections, as well as other networking and learning opportunities. With entry-level certifications, candidates can get their foot in the door sooner at a job, as they continue to work their way up the career and certification ladder.
