The California Department of Technology (CDT) assisted the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) in improving a vital IT system, and updates to one of its training academies yielded record enrollment. Among the takeaways:
- CDT’s Stabilization Program helped CalOES improve one of its IT systems and stands ready to help other state entities do the same. CalOES, which works to safeguard residents against threats including cybersecurity attacks, wildfires, earthquakes and public health emergencies, sought assistance from the Stabilization Program in 2022, CDT reported Wednesday. Its stabilization assessment team did more than 40 interviews with CalOES staff in two weeks to create recommendations. Following that, CDT’s stabilization remediation team assisted CalOES on a contract to procure a “larger profile solution than before,” using funds from the state Technology Stabilization Fund (TSF).
- “CDT went far and beyond and brought [a resource] to us, and they paid for this contract,” CalOES CIO Michael Crews said in a statement. Working with the TSF, CDT said, provides a team of advisers capable of guiding a project through evaluation and solicitation to contract. CalOES’ work with the Stabilization Program resulted in “significant improvements in the efficiency and security of their IT system, which is crucial to an organization where every second counts,” per CDT. The department encourages state entities with “a legacy or unstable system” to prepare and prevent before disaster strikes. “It can be hard to know where to begin or how to secure funding, but the stabilization team can help,” CDT said, referring interested parties to its Stabilization Service page.
- CDT’s Project Management Leadership Academy (PMLA) will this year train a cohort of 22 students, after changes to the academy to make it more attractive to prospective students resulted in a record number of applicants, the department said in a news release. CDT’s Office of Professional Development (OPD) hosts the academy, which aims to “develop critical project management leadership skills.”
- Improvements to the academy include scheduling and eligibility changes; classes are now offered in half-day increments over 10 weeks, allowing more participation in “shadowing activities” related to students’ project management experience. Officials have also opened the academy to “a wider demographic,” including people in supporting roles and with just one year of experience. Because of this, said CDT, 2023 applicants rose to 36, a nearly 40 percent increase compared to 2022 — and a 260 percent increase compared to 2021. OPD uses feedback to continually enhance the courses; CDT suggests emailing the training center at training@state.ca.gov with suggestions on improving courses or adding new ones.
