About the NCPC
Five universities
The National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium consists of five partner universities.
Mission Based
The mission of the NCPC is to provide research-based, cybersecurity-related training, exercises and technical assistance to local jurisdictions, counties, states and the private sector.
Experienced
As early as 2004, in partnership with DHS/FEMA, the individual members of the NCPC have developed and delivered DHS/FEMA certified online and instructor-led training courses to an array of states, counties, local jurisdictions, and critical infrastructure components nationwide addressing cybersecurity and cyber terrorism concerns. As of October 2021, members of the Consortium have trained more than 113,606 participants.
FEMA Funded
The courses are developed by various partners of the NCPC with funding from the Department of Homeland Security/FEMA. These course are provided at no cost to states, local governments, territories and tribes.
Questions answered
Are NCPC courses free?
NCPC training courses are available at no cost to participants.
Administered by FEMA and managed by the National Training and Education Division (NTED), the NCPC has provided tuition-free training and low-cost cybersecurity solutions for the past two decades and is currently developing new resources that will help SLTT communities reduce risk through training and tools.
Is NCPC training appropriate for beginners?
Yes, many of the courses provided through the NCPC are designed for members of the public to provide non-technical introductions into cybersecurity. These courses can be quickly located under the “Awareness” category. Additionally, many of the “awareness” training courses are web-based, which enables course participants to review the material at their own pace.
Can I receive a certificate after completing a course?
Yes, you may receive a certificate after completing a course. Please note that participants taking an instructor-led course will automatically be emailed a course of completion certificate by the NCPC partner that delivered the course. If you do not receive a certificate for a course,
participants may reach out to the NCPC for a certificate.
How can I register for a course?
To register for a course, you may either click the “REGISTER NOW” button featured within a course box on the main Courses page of our website or within the individual course’s page. Also featured within each course page is the point-of-contact for that course, which you may reach out to at any time for assistance with registration.
Web-based courses will redirect you to the TEEX/NERRTC website. They are an NCPC partner and assist with overall course registrations that are web-based. Once you are redirected to their website, click on the red “Register” button. If you are new to this process, you will be prompted to create a free user account.
Instructor-led courses require you register directly with the NCPC partner that is delivering the course. Simply email the point-of-contact on an instructor-led course and they will follow-up with next steps and when the course is available (if it’s not listed on the course page).
How can I communicate to the NCPC what my organization’s biggest cybersecurity training gaps are?
Please contact the NCPC and one of our partners will follow-up to learn more about your organization’s needs and localized training opportunities.
How do I obtain or find my FEMA SID?
You can visit the following website to obtain your 10 digit student ID: https://cdp.dhs.gov/FEMASID.
Are college credits awarded upon successful completion?
No, college credits are not awarded upon completion of a course.
Can I receive CEUs for taking a course?
This can vary depending on the course. Courses that have been CE Accredited will identify how many Continuing Education Units (CEUs) you may receive on the course’s specific page on our website. If it does not feature CEUs received, then it has not been accredited. However, the NCPC partner that is delivering the course may send you a certificate upon request that acknowledges the course was taken and the number of hours the course takes to complete.
What makes NCPC training different than all the other cybersecurity training out there?
Both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provide funding for course development through the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NCPC) and certifies all courses after a rigorous review process. As a federally funded resource, all training courses are created to be 508 compliant to support accessibility needs.
Additionally, the NCPC is unique in that it brings together a consortium of multiple academic institutions with expertise in cybersecurity and emergency management. This collaborative approach allows it to leverage a wide range of knowledge and resources to address cybersecurity preparedness and response challenges.
One of the primary functions of the NCPC is to provide training and education programs related to cybersecurity preparedness. This cybersecurity training is designed to meet the specific needs of various sectors, including government agencies, law enforcement, emergency responders and critical infrastructure providers.
Due to the unique areas of expertise related to cybersecurity by the NCPC partners, the consortium is able to provide best practices, guidelines and tools to course participants that can be used by organizations today to enhance their cybersecurity posture.
The NCPC also offers training programs suitable for a wide range of audiences, from cybersecurity professionals to non-technical staff within organizations. This inclusivity helps ensure that cybersecurity preparedness is comprehensive and not limited to IT specialists.
How do I know what training to take for my level of experience and role?
This is completely up to you! If you have an IT or technical background, look for courses identified for “Technical Audiences”. Community leaders and managers may be more interested in courses identified for “Leadership/Management Audience” or “Organizational Scope”. You can browse courses by audience or areas of interest on our Courses page.
How does the NCPC decide what cybersecurity training to offer?
The NCPC proactively polls stakeholders, analyzes participant feedback and reviews national-level reports to identify national cybersecurity training needs and gaps where training would help improve the resilience of SLTT communities. This process helps to ensure that the content of any new courses, as well as the content of existing courses, is current, relevant and appropriate for the target audience and will meet their needs.
Contact the Consortium
The mission of the NCPC is to provide research-based, cybersecurity-related training, exercises and technical assistance to local jurisdictions, counties, states and the private sector.
To inquire about a specific course, please reach out to the points of contact listed at the bottom of each individual course page.
For general inquiries, please submit your request through the contact form on this page.