Founded in 2009, iQ4 is a technology company that specializes in workforce skills intelligence and immersive applied learning within the workforce development sector. The company focuses on creating technology to enable private sector and higher education partnerships to solve the growing cybersecurity workforce skills shortage. iQ4 offers a digital Talent Cloud Infrastructure Platform that enables a skills marketplace for learning and hiring, through a skills and proficiency-based learning and hiring ecosystem. The system uses a data-driven taxonomy and Machine Learning for skills matching and career pathways—leading to good jobs.

The approach is based on four building blocks of a learning economy:

1. Macro Credential - Mentor-driven blended academic and applied learning
2. Digital Wallet - next-generation resume that translates backgrounds to skills, pathways, and careers
3. Skills Marketplace - Infrastructure to enable the Learning Employment Record
4. Enterprise - A platform that enables reskilling and upskilling for current and future employees

In 2015, iQ4 developed the Cybersecurity Workforce Alliance (CWA). Work began with private sector investment banks (member banks of the New York Federal Reserve), the bank regulatory community (New York Fed), their industry association (SIFMA - the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association), and local city and state universities in New York (CUNY, SUNY Albany and Saint Rose) working to support and to build a scalable workforce engagement model that facilitates how higher education can align virtually with industry, particularly in cybersecurity.

CWA works to accelerate the readiness of cybersecurity entry-level candidates and to bridge the gap between graduating with a degree and being “workforce ready” for a career — by learning from industry first.

Since its inception, CWA has become a national movement with over 600 executives who represent various financial institutions, consulting firms, and Fortune 100 companies.

CWA's two main programs are:

• Education — alerts students about careers and job roles available in cybersecurity to inspire them to engage in accelerated contextually based learning courses.
  • At the onset of this program, 99% of alumni in CWA programs were unaware of cybersecurity careers before the course.
  • As an apprentice/mentor system, the program is grounded in a proficiency model charged with technical and academic learning — combined with professional skill development and critical thinking objectives.
  • Curriculum is built around the NIST Cybersecurity Critical Infrastructure Framework (also known as Cybersecurity Framework or CSF) and impacted by the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014.
  • The framework that integrates industry standards and best practices to help organizations manage cybersecurity risks. The framework provides a prioritized, flexible, repeatable, and cost-effective approach, including information security measures and controls to help owners and operators of critical infrastructure and other interested entities to identify, assess, and manage cybersecurity-related risk while protecting business confidentiality, individual privacy, and civil liberties.
• Enterprise/Employers program focuses on mapping the specific skills learners need for mobility or upskilling to improve and advance their careers.
  • The model creates predictive career pathways for employees.
  • The model ensures what balance of resources are needed by industry players to maximize their productivity and employee retention.

Resources

Cybersecurity Workforce Alliance (CWA) Homepage

iQ4 Homepage

See Initiative: Cybersecurity Workforce Alliance (CWA) | Learn & Work Ecosystem Library