Tampa, FL – Focal Point Data Risk, a leading data security firm, today announced the launch of its new digital badging program for cybersecurity professionals. The program will recognize the continued education and achievements of cyber professionals via digital credentials. In partnership with Credly, a digital credential leader, Focal Point Academy will create and distribute badges recognizing skill mastery, role proficiency, and completion of specialty exercises.
The badging program at Focal Point Academy recognizes the accomplishments of cybersecurity professionals and helps cybersecurity leaders identify and qualify cyber talent. Digital credentials offer individuals the opportunity to provide proof of their knowledge and skills to current and potential employers. Hiring managers are then able to quickly identify internal and external talent through these badges, helping them address the challenges of the cyber workforce shortage. Studies have found that badging programs have the capacity to boost employee productivity by 34% and employee retention by 26%.
“Focal Point Academy is committed to helping our clients build successful workforce development programs that advance their cyber teams, and we have been fortunate to demonstrate that commitment with some of the top companies in the world” said Buffy Ellis, the Executive Vice President of Focal Point Academy. “We are excited to offer digital credentials to our clients, giving them greater visibility into the capabilities of current and potential employees and helping them create a culture of achievement and recognition that will attract and retain cybersecurity talent.”
Focal Point’s badging program is divided into two key credential categories: Skills and Role Proficiencies. Individuals are awarded badges after mastering skills through a specific course (Skills badges) or completing a full learning path toward a cybersecurity role (Role Proficiency badges). These categories are intended to recognize security professionals’ expertise and qualifications for critical roles on cybersecurity teams. Skills badges awarded for in-demand areas include Network Forensics, Log and Event Analysis, and Malware Analysis, while Role Proficiency badges recognize professionals as qualified Cyber Threat Analysts, Cyber Threat Hunters, and Reverse Engineers, among other roles.
Through Credly’s Acclaim platform, each unique badge provides a one-click, real-time virtual representation of an individual’s successful achievement of a new skill or completion of a learning path, with the metadata to match. The metadata built into the badge validates the credential and provides details on the achievement, including the criteria the individual met to earn it, the skills they now have, the organization that issued it, and when, or if, the credential expires.
“Digital credentials play an essential role in helping organizations develop a pipeline of trained professionals,” said Jonathan Finkelstein, CEO of Credly. “Focal Point furthers its mission to drive cyber workforce development by offering digital credentials for high-demand skills in a way that can be securely verified and shared with clients through Credly’s platform.”
Once badges are awarded through Focal Point Academy, individuals will be able to showcase their accomplishments online through professional and social networks, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, email signatures, and digital resumes. Credential holders can use these verified badges to differentiate themselves from other professionals and advance in their careers. In turn, cybersecurity leaders can utilize these credentials to identify in-demand cyber talent that has been developed and vetted by industry experts.
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