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Training

The Office of Homeland Security Training Program focuses on resourcing, supporting, coordinating, and facilitating training opportunities related to Homeland Security mission capabilities with quality educational programs and instructors, including realistic, adaptive, and competency-based training and comprehensive exercise development and support. See all of our options in the tabbed sections below.

National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NCPC): 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.

Threat-based capabilities training for protection, preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery can be located at our OHS Eventbrite training page. 

Disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery courses are offered by the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency (HIEMA).

Our federal partners offer a wide variety of training opportunities, both virtually and in-person.

  • FEMA Training: provides information on the training organizations supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
  • National Preparedness Course Catalog (NPCC): This course catalogue holds courses offered on its behalf by 21 training providers, including three FEMA training organizations—CDP, EMI and NTED.
  • National Domestic Preparedness Consortium: The NDPC is a partnership of several nationally recognized organizations whose membership is based on the urgent need to address the counter-terrorism preparedness needs of the nation’s emergency first responders within the context of all hazards including chemical, biological, radiological, and explosive Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) hazards.
  • Office for Bombing Prevention Virtual Instructor Led Training: VILT courses provide general awareness level counter-improvised explosive device information to a broad audience.
  • National Fire Academy: The U.S. Fire Administration’s NETCL is a resource for fire, emergency management, and other all-hazards subjects. They support National Fire Academy and Emergency Management Institute instructional and research programs by providing relevant collections, tools for resource discovery, and classroom-based and individual research assistance.
  • Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS): CHDS offers a wide range of programs focused on assisting current and emerging leaders in Homeland Defense and Security to develop the policies, strategies, programs and organizational elements needed to defeat terrorism and prepare for and respond to natural disasters and public safety threats across the United States.
Topical Trainings

DHS offers free courses, materials, and workshops to better prepare you to deal with an active shooter situation and to raise awareness of behaviors that represent pre-incident indicators and characteristics of active shooters. Browse materials online here.

Version 2 of the Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Line Officer Training was developed in 2014 to assist law enforcement line officers in understanding what kinds of suspicious behaviors are associated with pre-incident terrorism and other criminal activity, documenting and reporting suspicious activity, and protecting privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties when documenting information. This training also provides information about integrating the Nationwide SAR Initiative (NSI) into your organization’s operations.

Please note: The SAR Line Officer Training is intended for law enforcement personnel only.

The Department of Homeland Security hosts a collaborative Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Training Portal for members of the Homeland Security Information Network – Critical Infrastructure (HSIN-CI). This depository of links and documents serves as a central location for training courses and other resources to support critical infrastructure security and resilience activities. Note: you need an active HSIN account to access this page. To learn more about HSIN-CI and to become a member, visit the HSIN-CI webpage.

Critical Infrastructure

The courses listed here are developed and maintained by the Department of Homeland Security in partnership with critical infrastructure owners and operators, Sector-Specific Agencies, sector liaisons, CISA regional offices, other federal and state agencies, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Management Institute (FEMA EMI).

Critical infrastructure experts conduct one-hour webinars that focus on the tools, trends, issues, and best practices for infrastructure security and resilience. Series offerings are available at no-cost and are highly recommended for private sector and government partners, including critical infrastructure owners and operators and officials responsible for risk, security, and emergency management functions.

Cybersecurity

The Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) works to reduce risks within and across all critical infrastructure sectors. The Virtual Learning Portal (VLP) provides online training for those involved in the security of Industrial Control Systems (ICS) for no cost.

The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) Education and Training Catalog is a central location where cybersecurity professionals across the nation can find over 3,000 cybersecurity courses. Use the interactive map and filters to search for courses offered in your local area. All of the courses are aligned to the specialty areas of the National Cybersecurity Workforce Framework.

The courses listed here are developed and maintained by the Department of Homeland Security in partnership with critical infrastructure owners and operators, Sector-Specific Agencies, sector liaisons, CISA regional offices, other federal and state agencies, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Management Institute (FEMA EMI).

  • The Assessment Evaluation and Standardization (AES) program is designed to enable organizations to have a trained individual that can perform several cybersecurity assessments and reviews in accordance with industry and/or federal information security standards.
  • The Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program supports government-wide and agency-specific efforts to provide risk-based, consistent, and cost-effective cybersecurity solutions to protect federal civilian networks across all organizational tiers.
  • The CISA Tabletop Exercise Package (CTEP) is designed to assist critical infrastructure owners and operators in developing their own tabletop exercises to meet the specific needs of their facilities and stakeholders.
  • CISA offers free Industrial Control Systems (ICS) cybersecurity training to protect against cyber-attacks to critical infrastructure, such as power grids and water treatment facilities. CISA’s ICS training is globally recognized for its relevance and available virtually around the world.
  • CISA conducts cyber and physical security exercises with government and industry partners to enhance security and resilience of critical infrastructure. These exercises provide stakeholders with effective and practical mechanisms to identify best practices, lessons learned, and areas for improvement in plans and procedures.
  • The Federal Virtual Training Environment (FedVTE) is a free, online, and on-demand cybersecurity training system. With courses ranging from beginner to advanced levels, you can strengthen or build your cybersecurity skillsets at your own pace and schedule!
  • CISA’s downloadable Cybersecurity Workforce Training Guide (PDF) helps staff develop a training plan based on their current skill level and desired career path.
  • The Federal Virtual Training Environment (FedVTE) is a free, online, and on-demand cybersecurity training system. With courses ranging from beginner to advanced levels, you can strengthen or build your cybersecurity skillsets at your own pace and schedule!
  • Certification prep courses are available on topics such as 101 Coding, Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management, Cyber Essentials, and Foundations of Cybersecurity for Managers, Ethical Hacking, Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).
  • The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cybersecurity Workforce Framework provides a blueprint to categorize, organize, and describe cybersecurity work into specialty areas and tasks, including knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs). FedVTE divides the available courses into these elements and tags them by specialty area to help you identify courses that you need for your particular job or aspiration. NICE is the foundation for increasing the size and capability of the U.S. cybersecurity workforce. It provides a common definition of cybersecurity, a comprehensive list of cybersecurity tasks, and the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required to perform those tasks.
  • CISA’s no-cost Incident Response Training curriculum provides a range of training offerings for beginner and intermediate cyber professionals encompassing basic cybersecurity awareness and best practices for organizations and hands-on cyber range training courses for incident response.
Law Enforcement

The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) Catalog contains programs currently offered by the FLETC. Export programs refer to programs that can be hosted off-campus. Please regard the registration and contact information included on each program page.

Protected Information

Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) authorized user training is available in a self-paced, electronic module for qualifying individuals with a need-to-know. For more information, visit the PCII Program webpage or contact the PCII Program Office at pcii-assist@hq.dhs.gov.

Chemical-terrorism Vulnerability Information (CVI) training provides an overview of the Sensitive but Unclassified designation “Chemical-terrorism Vulnerability Information.” CVI protects information developed under the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS)regulation regarding vulnerabilities of high-risk chemical facilities manufacturing, using, storing, or possessing certain explosive, reactive, flammable, or toxic chemicals of interest. Completion of this training will prepare you to successfully handle and safeguard CVI. For more information, contact CSAT@hq.dhs.gov.