The Fort Meade Alliance unveiled the next phase of its signature program, Project SCOPE (Security Clearance Overview and Preparation Education), on Tuesday, 21 June 2011 at Towson University. This phase of Project SCOPE is targeted at 2- and 4-year college students as well as workers changing or re-entering the workforce.
Project SCOPE, College/Workforce details the process of obtaining security clearances, what types of clearances are available and necessary for different work, as well as general information to assist in the job search and interview process.
“There is a critical need for security-cleared individuals to fill the much-needed jobs in this region,” said Penny Cantwell, FMA Education and Workforce Chair and Senior Vice President of CommerceFirst Bank. “In providing a program that supports a more accurate understanding of the security clearance process, our region will be able to hire new employees more efficiently and streamline government and business workflow.”
Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger, citing the need for skilled workers with security clearances to staff the state’s growing cyber security sector, applauded the development of Project SCOPE.
“Security clearances are required to work in many national security arenas – such as cyber security – that will provide thousands of new jobs in Maryland,” Congressman Ruppersberger said. “Studies show security-cleared professionals are among the top 10 percent of earners in the country. By educating people on what it takes to obtain a security clearance, Project SCOPE and the Fort Meade Alliance are helping Maryland fill that pipeline of high-quality, high-paying jobs.”
Project SCOPE, which debuted in June 2009, was created to educate middle and high school students in Maryland about the great opportunities available to them in careers that require security clearances. Project SCOPE, College/Workforce is the natural progression of this program.
The website www.project-scope.org addresses several different aspects of the security clearance process, and provides vital information to job applicants. It targets 2-year and 4-year college graduates, and professionals who are re-entering the workforce or changing careers.
In addition to the website, another teaching tool in Project SCOPE is the speakers bureau, which encourages professionals who currently have a security clearance to share their personal experiences with job applicants. Besides helping applicants understand the need for cleared workers in the region, the stories speakers share may ease the apprehension associated with obtaining a security clearance.
For more information about Project SCOPE or to sign up as part of the Speakers Bureau, please visit www.project-scope.org.