The Federal Cyber Reskilling Academy has yet to have any of the members from its first cohorts find a job in cybersecurity. The reason: The mid-career employees without an IT background who volunteered for the academy would have had to take a pay cut if they transitioned to a new cybersecurity job. In a monthly newsletter released recently, the U.S. Merit System Protection Board took aim at the “rigid” government pay system that it believes causes this and recommends some changes it thinks could help. Jackson Barnett has the scoop.

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Background check backlog drops

The defense and intelligence communities celebrated a big milestone by cutting down on the security clearance backlog to just 231,000. It was a big win for the federal workforce. The goal is to get to a steady-state of 200,000 cases pending at any time. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency has seen a 55% improvement in the speed with which secret clearances are issued and a 60% improvement for top-secret clearances. Dave Nyczepir takes you inside the reduced backlog.

In an analysis based on the login activity of more than 7,400 customers, identity management firm Okta found that of the 10 fastest-growing apps for enterprise needs, five are known at least in part for their security offerings. Adoption of the incident management tool Opsgenie, which alerts developers to possible problems, grew by 194%, while Google Cloud implementation climbed by 108%, Splunk by 102%, KnowBe4 by 89% and Jamf Pro enjoyed an 82% increase. It’s an indication, according to Okta’s findings, that corporate America realizes its most pressing needs in waves. “A few years ago the #1 fastest growing apps — Slack and Zoom — focused on collaboration,” the report’s authors wrote. “Winners from the past two years were security-focused Jamf Pro and KnowBe4. This year, we’re seeing data tools grow quickly.” Jeff Stone has the numbers.

Howard's big donation

Howard University received a $10 million donation — the largest in its more than 150-year history — for scholarships in science and technology. Gifted by the Karsh Family Foundation — whose mission is to support educational equity and opportunity — the endowment will fund full scholarships, research internships, opportunities to study abroad and professional mentoring for about 30 students to earn their Ph.D. or combined M.D./Ph.D.s in science, technology, engineering and math subjects. The funds will also be used to create new scholarships for graduates of the Knowledge is Power Program, a nationwide network of high performing public schools in underserved communities. Betsy Foresman has the scoop.

Job of the Day

Chief Human Capital Officer |USDA

Provide executive leadership as the principal adviser to the Under Secretary for Food Safety, FSIS Administrators, Deputy Administrator and FSIS Executives on the formulation and execution of major human capital initiatives. Work for a premier agency focused on enhancing the quality of life for the American people! See this job and more.