From Training to Readiness: What NCPC Learned About Cyber Preparedness in FY25

Cybersecurity in the public sector reached an inflection point in FY25. Cyber incidents, from credential compromises and ransomware attacks to supply‑chain intrusions and zero‑day exploitation, continued to demonstrate that cyber risk is no longer confined to IT departments. It is a governance, operational and community resilience challenge affecting every level of government and nearly every sector. Against this backdrop, the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NCPC) spent FY25 helping state, local, tribal and territorial (SLTT) organizations translate cybersecurity training into real‑world readiness.

Funded by the Department of Homeland Security and administered through FEMA’s National Training and Education Division, NCPC delivers no‑cost, DHS‑certified cybersecurity training aligned with the National Preparedness System, Presidential Policy Directive‑8 and Executive Order 14028. Its mission is straightforward but ambitious: equip communities with the knowledge and skills needed to prevent, detect, respond to and recover from cyber incidents.

Training at National Scale

By the end of FY25, the NCPC had trained 159,988 participants nationwide, reaching all 50 states and U.S. territories. That reach is the result of a diversified delivery model that combines instructor‑led and web‑based training designed specifically for public‑sector constraints, such as limited staff, tight budgets and geographic dispersion.

Web‑based training continued to play a central role in expanding access. Participation grew steadily year over year, with especially strong engagement in FY24 and FY25, reflecting both rising cyber awareness and the value of flexible, asynchronous learning models for busy professionals. For many jurisdictions, web-based training became the entry point into more advanced or role‑specific cybersecurity training.

What the Data Says People Need

FY25 participation data tells a clear story about where public‑sector cyber priorities are headed. High‑completion web‑based courses focused on cybersecurity maturity models, Internet of Things (IoT) risk, fundamentals of cybersecurity, advanced persistent threats, and mobile device security. This mix reflects a shift away from narrow technical skills toward broader enterprise risk awareness.

For cybersecurity professionals, this trend underscores an important lesson: public‑sector readiness increasingly depends on connecting governance, technology and operations. Training demand is no longer just about “how to secure a system,” but about understanding how cyber risk affects continuity of operations, emergency management, public trust, and service delivery.

Training Designed for Application, Not Just Awareness

The NCPC structures its curriculum across three levels: Awareness, Performance, and Management and Planning. This ensures training outcomes map directly to real responsibilities. Awareness courses establish foundational cybersecurity concepts, helping develop understanding and context that support the growth of cybersecurity knowledge, skills and abilities. Performance courses emphasize hands‑on, role‑specific skills using engaging activities that reinforce cybersecurity concepts and support stronger retention and real-world application. Management and Planning courses emphasize policy, governance, coordination and decision‑making, supporting effective and coordinated cybersecurity decisions across organizational stakeholders.

In FY25, participant assessments showed measurable increases in knowledge, skills and abilities, validating the NCPC’s emphasis on applied learning. Simulation‑based courses in particular helped leaders experience cyber incidents as resource, communication and prioritization challenges, not just technical events. For many organizations, these experiences helped establish a shared language between IT teams, executives and emergency managers.

Lessons from Sector‑Specific Gaps

Training participation and feedback in FY25 also revealed recurring readiness gaps across sectors:

• Local and rural governments often face foundational challenges, including limited cybersecurity staffing, unclear governance structures, and competing operational priorities. Training demand here emphasized baseline awareness and maturity modeling to support strategic planning.
• Public safety and emergency services organizations highlighted gaps in integrating cyber incidents into all‑hazards emergency operations. Dispatch systems, records management, and communications infrastructures remain particularly vulnerable.
• Utilities and critical infrastructure operators showed growing concern around IoT, operational technology and third‑party risk, driving interest in courses focused on advanced threats and networked device security.
• Tribal and territorial partners consistently emphasized accessibility and relevance, reinforcing the importance of flexible delivery models and content that respects local context while aligning with national frameworks.

These findings align closely with FEMA preparedness doctrine: cyber readiness must be scalable, inclusive and adaptable while remaining anchored to shared national risk management principles.

Collaboration as a Preparedness Accelerator

The NCPC’s impact in FY25 was amplified by its consortium model, which brings together five partner institutions with complementary expertise. Throughout the year, these partners worked collaboratively to assess the evolving needs of state, local, tribal and territorial (SLTT) communities to refresh course content, develop new offerings, and coordinate delivery across regions and sectors.

This coordinated approach enabled the NCPC to efficiently design and deliver timely, high-quality training focused on emerging cybersecurity threats while maintaining consistency, relevance and alignment with federal policy. For public‑sector professionals, this model ensured access to trusted, standardized training tailored to the operational realities and capacity needs of SLTT organizations.

Looking Ahead

FY25 reinforced an essential truth for the cybersecurity community: training alone is not preparedness. Preparedness comes from training that changes behavior, informs decisions, and strengthens coordination across roles and sectors. By focusing on applied learning, inclusive access and national alignment, the NCPC continues to help public‑sector organizations move from awareness to actionable readiness.

As cyber threats continue to evolve, the lessons of FY25 provide a roadmap for strengthening resilience, one community, one organization, and one trained professional at a time.

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By Natalie Sjelin, Chair of the NCPC and Executive Director of the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security
and Rebecca Tate, Director at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service National Emergency Response and Recovery Training Center

Elevate Your IT Career: The High Impact Value of No-Cost NCPC Training

In IT and cybersecurity, the field moves — whether you do, or not. Threats change, technologies shift, and the skills that got you here, may not be the same skills that will get you where you want to go next. Most professionals know they need to keep learning — the problem is usually time and money.

The National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium offers a powerful, no-cost solution through its certified training courses. Funded by the DHS-FEMA National Training and Education Division, these courses are designed specifically to help the State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) workforce and the broader IT community strengthen their current positions and prepare for advanced, higher-paying roles.

Getting Better at the Job You Already Have

Many IT professionals end up in roles where they’re heads-down on technical work, rarely looking up at the bigger picture. That’s understandable, but it’s also a ceiling. Modern cybersecurity doesn’t live in a single department or one person’s hands. It touches governance, operations, leadership and culture.

NCPC courses help you grow in the role you’re in right now. Courses, like AWR-138-W Network Assurance and AWR-178-W Secure Software, give you practical experience with firewalls, intrusion detection and secure programming.

But the training doesn’t stop at the technical layer. You’ll also build fluency in governance and risk management, which is what separates someone who can fix the problem, from someone who can prevent it and explain it to leadership. With specialized training in the NCPC’s Cyber Incident Response and Recovery course category, you shift from reacting to incidents to anticipating them, understanding not just what happened, but what it means for the rest of the organization.

Moving Into Leadership

At some point, career growth stops being about what you can do with your hands, and starts being about what you can do with a room. NCPC’s curriculum is built with that transition in mind.

The MGT-328 Critical Thinking and Risk Management in a Cyber-Converged World course teaches you how to quantify and communicate risk, using frameworks like FAIR and OCTAVE FORTE. These are the skills that security consultants and CISOs rely on daily.

The AWR-353-W Using the Community Cyber Security Maturity Model (CCSMM) to Develop a Cybersecurity Program course goes a step further, giving you the tools to assess and guide entire organizations toward a stronger security posture. And throughout the curriculum, there’s a consistent emphasis on plain language and audience awareness — because a leader who can explain a complex threat to an elected official or a skeptical CFO, is worth far more than one who can’t.

The Financial and Professional Payoff

These courses cost you nothing, but the value you get out of them is anything but small. In IT, certifications are among the most reliable ways to advance and earn more. Certified professionals typically out-earn their non-certified peers by 8% to 20%, and if you specialize in something like cybersecurity, entry-level roles often start above $92,000, with senior positions pushing well past $120,000.

Promotions happen faster, too. Employers trust certified candidates because the credential does some of the convincing for them. It signals that you take your development seriously, which is exactly what managers want to see before handing someone more responsibility.

And when you finish a course, you walk away with a certificate that holds weight, both with the humans reviewing your resume, and the AI tools increasingly doing the first round of screening.

Learning That Fits Around a Real Job

Courses are available as self-paced, web-based training or as live instructor-led sessions, both virtual and in-person. If your schedule is unpredictable, the web-based options let you move at your own speed. If you learn better with direct access to an instructor and other professionals in the room, the live sessions are built for that. Either way, you’re not choosing between your job and your development.

Where Do You Go From Here?

Nobody stumbles into a great IT career. They build it, one deliberate choice at a time. The NCPC exists to make sure cost isn’t what holds you back. Whether you’re trying to lock down your current network or gunning for a seat at the strategic table, these courses give you credentials that actually mean something to hiring managers and leadership.

The threats aren’t slowing down, and neither should you. This is how you show your organization and yourself that you’re serious about staying ahead.

Ready to get started? Browse the full catalog and sign up for your first no-cost course right here on the NCPC website.

Recommended Courses for Your Upskill Journey

For those just beginning to transition from general IT into a focused cybersecurity path, these two web-based, self-paced courses offer an excellent foundation:

AWR-173-W: Information Security Basics. This is the perfect starting point. It covers the essential terminology and concepts of information security, ensuring you have a solid grasp of the “CIA Triad” (Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability) before moving into more technical configurations.

AWR-177-W: Information Risk Management. While the title is specific, it teaches you how to identify vulnerabilities and implement low-cost, high-impact security measures—skills that are directly transferable to any SLTT or small-business environment.

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Shawn Lane is an instructor and course developer with Norwich University Applied Research Institutes (NUARI). He delivers instruction in cyber incident response and information warfare to military, academic and civilian audiences, emphasizing practical, real-world preparedness.

He holds multiple professional certifications in cybersecurity, digital and computer forensics, incident response, and information operations, and uses an applied, scenario-driven approach focused on awareness, critical thinking and resilience.

Cybersecurity is an Education Leadership Issue, Not Just an IT Problem

Cyber incidents in the education sector are no longer isolated technical failures quietly handled by IT teams behind the scenes. They are operational, financial and reputational events that directly affect students, faculty, families and communities. As digital systems increasingly underpin teaching, learning, administration and safety, cybersecurity has become a core leadership responsibility for educational institutions of all sizes.

School districts, colleges and universities are uniquely attractive targets. They manage vast amounts of sensitive data (student records, financial information, research and personal identifiers), often with limited resources and legacy systems. According to recent industry and government reports, higher education institutions experience average breach costs in the millions of dollars. At the same time, K-12 districts routinely face recovery costs ranging from tens of thousands to well over a million dollars per incident. These costs rarely reflect only ransom payments; they also include system downtime, legal fees, regulatory notifications, increases in cyber insurance premiums, and long-term reputational damage.

The Real Impact Goes Beyond Technology

When a cyber incident occurs, the disruption reaches far beyond servers and networks. Instructional time is lost. Payroll and financial aid may be delayed. Student grades and transcripts can be compromised. Trust, once broken, can take years to rebuild. In many cases, leadership attention is pulled away from strategic priorities and redirected toward crisis response, public communication, and regulatory scrutiny.

A recent example illustrates this clearly. In late 2024, a large U.S. school district experienced a ransomware attack that forced the shutdown of its student information system for weeks. While media coverage focused on the ransom demand, the deeper consequences were more damaging: parent confidence eroded, substitute teachers could not be paid on time, special education services were delayed, and the district faced potential compliance violations related to student privacy laws. Even after systems were restored, the district continued to absorb costs related to audits, cyber insurance reassessments, and staff burnout.

These outcomes underscore a critical reality: cybersecurity incidents are leadership crises, not just technical events.

Why Educational Leaders Need Cybersecurity Fluency

Many educational leaders did not come up through technical career paths; yet they are accountable for decisions that shape cyber risk every day (budget priorities, vendor relationships, staffing models and policy enforcement). Cybersecurity readiness requires leaders to ask informed questions, understand tradeoffs, and align security investments with institutional mission and risk tolerance.

Importantly, cybersecurity is not solely about tools. Research consistently shows that human behavior and third-party relationships play a significant role in breaches. Phishing attacks, credential misuse, and vendor vulnerabilities remain among the most common entry points. Leadership sets the tone for how seriously cybersecurity awareness, training, and accountability are taken across the organization.

A leadership-level understanding of cybersecurity also strengthens collaboration. Superintendents, principals, presidents and board members who share a common vocabulary around cyber risk are better positioned to work effectively with IT staff, legal counsel, emergency managers and external partners. This shared understanding enables faster decision-making during incidents and more strategic planning before one occurs.

Moving from Awareness to Preparedness

Effective cyber preparedness in education does not require leaders to become technical experts. It does require them to understand the landscape well enough to guide priorities, support risk-based decision-making, and ensure that cybersecurity is integrated into broader organizational planning.

Frameworks, such as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, provide a structured way for leaders to think about governance, risk identification, protection, detection, response and recovery. When applied at the leadership level, these concepts help institutions move from reactive problem-solving to proactive resilience, anticipating incidents and minimizing their impact when they occur.

A Call to Action for Educational Leaders

Cyber threats facing the education sector are persistent, evolving and unlikely to diminish. Leadership engagement is no longer optional; it is foundational to protecting students, staff and institutional missions. For educational leaders seeking a deeper understanding of how cyber incidents affect their organizations and how to guide preparedness efforts without needing a technical background, targeted education is essential.

The Cybersecurity for Educational Leaders (AWR-301) course was developed to address this exact need, providing leaders with practical context, shared language, and strategic insight to better manage cyber risk within their institutions. For those ready to strengthen their leadership perspective on cybersecurity, the course offers a focused opportunity to build that capability in an increasingly complex threat environment.

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By Steven Washkowiak, cybersecurity projects coordinator with the Criminal Justice Institute – University of Arkansas System

Instructor Spotlight: Filipp Khosh

What inspired you to become an NCPC instructor? What experience do you bring to the courses you teach? 

Throughout my career, I have consistently held roles that involved teaching and training, particularly in military and law enforcement environments where instruction is one of the core responsibilities. I genuinely enjoy teaching and sharing practical knowledge drawn from real operational experience, rather than purely theoretical material.

My four years as an adjunct instructor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice further reinforced this interest, as teaching civilian students required translating professional experience into accessible and meaningful learning. When the opportunity to become an NCPC instructor arose, it provided a natural way to continue doing what I enjoy most—teaching, mentoring and sharing the experience that I have personally gained.

What makes NCPC’s training approach unique compared to other cybersecurity programs you’ve encountered?

Prior to working with NCPC training, my exposure to cybersecurity education was primarily through academic coursework while completing a post-baccalaureate certificate in Computer Science for Digital Forensics. Those studies were largely IT-centric and offered limited coverage of the non-technical dimensions of cybersecurity, such as policy, governance, compliance and organizational awareness.

NCPC’s training approach is distinct in that it is intentionally designed for what FEMA describes as the Whole Community, not just IT professionals. It effectively bridges the gap between technical cybersecurity concepts and the operational, policy and leadership responsibilities that support a mature security posture. By using plain language and role-based relevance, NCPC training helps reduce the common fear of “cyber” by reframing it as a shared, achievable responsibility rather than an exclusively technical discipline.

How do you tailor your instruction to meet the needs of diverse audiences?

My professional background spans military, law enforcement, academic and emergency response environments, which have required me to work with and instruct highly diverse audiences. This experience allows me to quickly assess what content is most relevant and appropriate for a given group, whether the audience is technical or non-technical. I focus on aligning cybersecurity concepts to each audience’s operational reality, mission priorities and level of technical dependence. 

One example involved teaching the same cybersecurity course to two very different police departments. A large, well-funded agency relied heavily on IT systems and digital infrastructure, so the instruction emphasized protecting availability, integrity and operational continuity. In contrast, a small-town department with mostly analog processes required a different approach, focusing on how cybersecurity awareness and basic hygiene should be established early, before increased digital dependence occurs. Adjusting the message in real time ensured the material remained relevant, practical, and meaningful for both audiences.

How do you see NCPC training contributing to national cybersecurity resilience and community preparedness?

NCPC training contributes to national cybersecurity resilience by reducing the fear and misunderstanding often associated with the term “cyber,” particularly among non-technical personnel. By clearly demonstrating that cybersecurity extends beyond IT functions, the training makes the topic accessible and relevant to a broader range of roles within an organization.

This shared understanding helps bridge the gap between technical and non-technical staff by clarifying each group’s priorities and responsibilities. As a result, organizations are better positioned to communicate, coordinate, and make informed decisions during cyber incidents or broader crises, strengthening overall community preparedness and operational resilience. 

What feedback have you received from participants?

Participant feedback has consistently highlighted the value of NCPC courses in helping individuals better understand perspectives outside their own roles. Both verbal feedback and post-course surveys frequently indicate that the training helped participants “see the other side,” particularly across technical, non-technical and leadership roles. 

Students have noted that the training clarified what they should reasonably expect from leadership, as well as what leadership should reasonably expect from them. Likewise, participants in leadership roles reported gaining a clearer understanding of staff capabilities, limitations and responsibilities. This shared understanding has been cited as a key factor in improving communication, alignment and effectiveness across organizations. 

What do you find most rewarding about teaching cybersecurity preparedness?

What I find most rewarding about teaching cybersecurity preparedness through NCPC is the opportunity to work with highly diverse audiences across different geographic regions and professional sectors. Many of these fields are outside my own prior experience, which makes each course both engaging and intellectually rewarding.  

I consistently learn from my students, their operational realities and perspectives, and this exchange makes every course I deliver a valuable learning experience for me as well as for the participants. 

What is your favorite NCPC course, and why?

My favorite NCPC course is AWR-432 Integrating Hazard Response into Exercise Planning. The course provides an excellent opportunity to build a bridge of understanding between technical and non-technical personnel by highlighting how their roles and responsibilities are interconnected during planning and response activities. 

As an added benefit, the course allows me to introduce participants to the HSEEP exercise development process and demonstrate how to plan and conduct exercises in a way that delivers maximum value to both the organization and the training audience. 

How does the NCPC prepare participants for real-world cybersecurity concerns?

NCPC prepares participants for real-world cybersecurity concerns by grounding instruction in practical, role-based relevance rather than purely technical theory. The training helps participants understand how cybersecurity affects their daily responsibilities, decision-making processes and organizational missions, regardless of whether they hold technical roles. By emphasizing shared responsibility, plain language and operational context, the NCPC ensures participants can apply what they learn in realistic settings. 

The courses also strengthen preparedness by improving cross-functional understanding and communication between technical staff, non-technical personnel and leadership. This alignment helps organizations coordinate more effectively during incidents, set realistic expectations across roles, and integrate cybersecurity considerations into broader preparedness, response and exercise planning efforts.

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Filipp Khosh is an Exercise Planner & Course Developer at Norwich University Applied Research Institutes (NUARI) in Northfield, Vt.

Building Cyber Readiness the Smart Way

Cybersecurity continues to be a top concern for organizations in every sector, and for good reasons^[1]. Cyber threats continue to evolve quickly, and the impact a cyber incident can have cannot only cause disruptions to operations and compromise sensitive data, but it can also create long-term impacts and challenges to recovery. Building cyber readiness can oftentimes feel like a complex task, but it doesn’t have to start with major investments or technical overhauls. One of the most effective first steps in cyber readiness begins with training.^[2] Training can be an essential tool to cyber readiness, especially when it is offered in a flexible, self-paced format designed to fit into a busy schedule.

The National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NCPC) offers self-paced web courses to support organizations in many different areas. From improving cybersecurity awareness and organizational readiness to and risk management. These courses provide practical knowledge that can be applied across all areas of an organization, from leadership to operational staff, and more!

Start with the Foundation: Cybersecurity Policies

A strong cybersecurity posture begins with more than just the technical tools; it begins with setting clear expectations and consistent guidance. This is where cybersecurity policies play an essential role. Policies establish what is required, what is acceptable, and what actions should be taken to protect systems and information. Policies often provide a framework for consistency, accountability and continuity.

One course that directly supports this foundational work is MGT-333-W Organizational Cybersecurity Policy Essentials. This self-paced course focuses on building an understanding of cybersecurity policy development and implementation. It also highlights why policy is critical to overall organizational cybersecurity readiness. Learners are introduced to what belongs in a cybersecurity policy, what the anatomy of a policy looks like, and how policy impacts organizational behavior and compliance, in addition to what challenges organizations may face when creating or maintaining cybersecurity policies.

Building Awareness

Once policies are established, the next step is ensuring staff understand cybersecurity risks and how everyday actions can impact organizational security. Cybersecurity awareness is not limited to just the IT department; it is a shared responsibility across the entire organization. Effective training helps employees and leaders recognize threats, reduce vulnerabilities, and support secure behaviors consistently.

A course that supports this effort is AWR-397-W: Cybersecurity for Everyone. This course provides an accessible overview of cybersecurity concepts and helps learners understand common risks, safe practices, and how connected devices can introduce vulnerabilities. It is a great option for organizations that want to provide cybersecurity awareness to a broad audience.

Strengthen Response Readiness & Incident Management

Training is also essential for preparing organizations to respond effectively when incidents occur. Even with strong policies and awareness training, organizations must plan for the possibility of a cyber event and ensure personnel understand the steps required to manage incidents appropriately.

The course AWR-169-W: Introduction to Cyber Incident Management supports organizations by introducing key concepts in cyber incident management, including how incidents are identified, analyzed, prioritized and addressed. This type of training helps organizations strengthen response processes and supports continuity by ensuring leaders understand what actions are needed during a cyber incident and why timely decision-making is critical.

Addressing Emerging Threats

Many organizations are also facing increasing cybersecurity risks due to the expansion of connected devices and networks. Internet of Things (IoT) devices are widely used nowadays and can introduce vulnerabilities if not properly secured. As organizations expand and introduce new types of technologies to the organization, having a baseline understanding of IoT-related risks becomes increasingly important.

The course AWR-402-W: Introduction to Internet of Things can assist learners in understanding how IoT devices function, what makes them vulnerable, and what best practices can be put into place to reduce risk. It also connects IoT security to policy and organizational responsibility, which aligns with the foundational concepts introduced in MGT-333-W.

Moving Forward

Cybersecurity preparedness is not a one-time effort; it is an ongoing process that requires various parts, such as planning, training and organizational-wide commitment. The good news is that organizations can take meaningful steps forward by building knowledge and capabilities over time, starting with foundational topics and then moving on to more advanced ones.

If you are looking for a course to begin strengthening cyber readiness within your organization, MGT-333-W is a great course to begin with. As always, more training courses can be found through the NCPC catalog.

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By Monique Leija, information security instructor at the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security with The University of Texas at San Antonio.

References:

1. Jones, D. (2025). Cyber disruptions remain top business risk concern in US, globally. Cybersecurity Dive.
2. Center for Internet Security. (n.d.). CIS Critical Security Control 14: Security awareness and skills training.

Strengthening Cyber Preparedness Through Web-Based Training: The Case for Learning Before You Arrive

In today’s cyber landscape, organizations face rising threats, limited staffing, and constant pressure to stay ahead of evolving risks. As a result, the demand for accessible, flexible training has never been greater. Web-based cybersecurity courses have become a critical part of meeting that need.  

There is a common misconception that asynchronous web-based learning is inherently easier or lighter weight simply because it is remote. In reality, well-designed web-based courses often require a higher degree of individual engagement, discipline, and critical thinking. Without the structure of a traditional classroom, learners must absorb complex concepts, navigate interactive scenarios, and apply judgment on their own. While online learning is often viewed as a convenient alternative, its value and rigor extend far beyond accessibility.  

For many professionals, engaging in online coursework before in-person training creates a stronger foundation, accelerates learning, and leads to better long-term performance. 

Intentional Design

At TEEX, we have seen firsthand how preparing through web-based modules can transform the in-person experience. Our cybersecurity programs, including those designed for technical operators, managers and decision-makers, increasingly rely on web-based components to establish a baseline of knowledge. These courses are intentionally structured to introduce essential terminology, concepts, and real-world scenarios in a format that learners can complete at their own pace. Arriving with that shared foundation not only enhances comprehension but also elevates the level of engagement during hands-on or instructor-led sessions. 

One of the most commonly reported benefits is the confidence that learners bring into the classroom. Cybersecurity can be a fast-moving field, and not everyone comes in with the same background. Training available online helps level the playing field. Participants can revisit lessons, pause content for clarity, or work through examples without the pressure of keeping pace with a live room. By the time they attend in-person training, they are familiar with the core principles and better positioned to ask deeper, more applied questions that strengthen the collective learning environment. 

From an instructional standpoint, online preparation allows instructors to devote classroom time to dynamic activities that cannot be replicated in a digital format. Instead of spending extended time reviewing foundational material, the in-person sessions can fully focus on practical application. For technical courses, this means hands-on labs, simulations, and collaborative problem-solving. For management or performance-based courses, it means scenario-driven discussions, decision-making exercises, and applied planning. Learners arrive ready to participate, rather than simply absorb information. 

This blended approach also reflects the realities of the cybersecurity profession. Much of the work in this field requires independent learning, quick adaptation, and the ability to process information digitally. Completing web-based courses before arriving for in-person instruction mirrors how cybersecurity professionals operate day-to-day. It reinforces the skills of self-direction, critical thinking, and rapid knowledge acquisition, which are all competencies that are essential in a field where threats evolve far more quickly than traditional training cycles. 

Blended Learning for Cyber Resilience

For agencies and organizations balancing workloads with workforce development, web-based courses also open the door to more consistent and efficient training pipelines. Personnel can complete the web-based material during slower operational periods, reducing the total time they need to be away for on-site training. This approach minimizes disruption while ensuring that staff arrive prepared and ready to maximize the value of the in-person experience. In many cases, this leads to higher completion rates, improved retention, and more meaningful learning outcomes. 

Ultimately, the combination of online preparation and in-person training creates a stronger, more resilient learning model. Web-based courses build the framework, and in-person sessions bring the material to life. Learners walk away not only with knowledge but with the ability to apply that knowledge in real situations, whether responding to incidents, implementing new policies, or guiding organizational cyber strategy. 

As cyber threats continue to expand in scale and complexity, the need for adaptable, effective training will only grow. Web-based learning is not just a supplement. It is an essential component of modern cybersecurity education, and when paired with hands-on instruction, it equips professionals with the readiness, confidence, and skillset needed to strengthen the security posture of their organizations. 

As a member of the NCPC, TEEX is proud to support this blended approach and remains committed to delivering high-quality, accessible web-based courses that prepare learners for success long before they walk into the classroom. 

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Dr. Bart Taylor is with the Business & Cyber Solutions Division at Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service.

Expanding Cybersecurity Awareness Through Web-based Learning

As an instructor for the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NCPC), I’ve seen firsthand how vital it is to make cybersecurity education accessible, relevant and impactful. While we traditionally favor face-to-face instruction for its effectiveness in conveying complex ideas, we recognize the value of web-based learning, especially for short courses that introduce foundational concepts. These courses allow learners to engage with material at their own pace, making cybersecurity education more inclusive and equitable.

Our web-based course development process is deeply collaborative. We work closely with stakeholders and rely on pilot programs to refine content based on student feedback. This iterative approach ensures that our courses are not only informative but also practical and responsive to learners’ needs.

Cybersecurity is a cornerstone of national preparedness and resilience. The Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency certify the NCPC courses, so their rigorous standards guide our curriculum, requiring us to clearly define goals and objectives that align with broader national security priorities. Every course provided is built on the principle that strengthening cybersecurity at all levels contributes to the safety of millions of people and the integrity of countless systems.

Online access is key to broadening participation in cybersecurity learning. Anyone with a computer and an internet connection can begin learning, regardless of their background or location. This option empowers self-directed learners to pursue further training and demonstrate initiative to employers, often opening doors to more advanced opportunities in the field.

Our long-term mission is clear: enhance the cybersecurity posture of our nation’s critical infrastructure. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but by reaching as many individuals as possible, we can foster a culture of awareness and responsibility.

The NCPC has tailored three introductory courses, which were developed by Norwich University Applied Research Institutes, specifically for police, fire, EMS and municipal agencies.

Introductory Courses

AWR-388-W Cyber Security Awareness for Municipal, Police, Fire and EMS IT Personnel focuses on cyber awareness, emphasizing that public safety agencies must prioritize cybersecurity alongside their core missions. AWR-389-W Incident Response for Municipal, Police, Fire and EMS Information Technology Personnel targets IT support personnel in emergency services, highlighting the importance of applying incident response principles to cyber threats. AWR-398-W Introduction to Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations introduces novices to Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations (ISAOs) and guides them toward further resources. These courses emphasize that cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility, starting with basic awareness.

Cybersecurity is not just a technical challenge; it’s a shared responsibility. Through thoughtful course design and accessible delivery, NCPC is helping build a more resilient and prepared nation.

There are many web-based courses for your consideration, whether you’re looking for an introductory point into cybersecurity or want a deeper dive into specific topics, as an end-user, technical personnel or manager. Visit the NCPC website courses page to learn about your options!

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Thomas Paulger is the director of course development for Norwich University Applied Research Institutes and has been an NCPC Instructor since 2014. He holds numerous IT certifications, including CISSP, SANS Forensic Analyst, Penetration Tester, Intrusion Analyst, and Industrial Cyber Security Professional.