A White House order on strengthening cybersecurity nationwide in general includes a provision to create a rotational program to boost those skills in the federal workforce, the latest of many such initiatives.

The order instructs OPM and OMB to establish within three months a “rotational assignment program, which will serve as a mechanism for knowledge transfer and a development program for cybersecurity practitioners,” with provisions for training and mentoring.

Also, within six months OPM and other agencies are to “identify a list of cybersecurity aptitude assessments for agencies to use in identifying current employees with the potential to acquire cybersecurity skills for placement in reskilling programs to perform cybersecurity work.” Agencies are to incorporate those assessments into their personnel development programs.

The Senate recently passed a bill to create a similar rotational program and efforts have been under way for years to better define which federal positions involve cybersecurity skills and where there are shortages. The government meanwhile has increased its use of shortcut hiring procedures and incentive pay and has started a program of retraining employees to take on such roles.

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