The California Department of Technology (CDT) has opened the application period for its Information Technology Leadership Academy (ITLA), a training ground for those in the public sector seeking to move up in management or into the executive ranks.
This will be the 29th cohort of ITLA, a program that CDT has said will allow participants to “expand their skills in leadership, executive presentations, and team building.” This year’s course topics will include strategic planning, agile best practices for the executive level, coaching and mentoring techniques to ensure good succession planning, enterprise communication, and systems thinking. This year’s program also promises to incorporate strategies needed to lead successfully in both remote and hybrid environments.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the governor’s directives, training sessions scheduled during the months of January and February will be conducted on a remote platform. As COVID-19-related circumstances continue to evolve, some sessions after Feb. 28 may be offered in-person with the option to attend virtually, if desired and if circumstances allow.
Brenda Bridges Cruz, CDT’s deputy director of professional development, said, “With virtual training becoming the new normal, we’re excited to offer this and other opportunities to a wider, statewide audience more inclusive of our cities, counties, and other state offices outside of the greater Sacramento area.”
The 17-week program, which runs from Jan. 12 through May 5, 2022, is open to state and local government workers who possess a strategic and innovative mindset and aspire to move into executive or senior leadership positions. To be considered for acceptance, candidates must be serving in an IT supervisory or IT managerial capacity and, ideally, possess at least five years’ experience in one or a combination of both levels.
Prospective participants must be nominated by their chief information officer (CIO) and are required to submit a signed CIO Authorization Form as part of their package submission. A formal letter of recommendation is no longer required.
Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. Nov. 1. To learn more about the program or to apply, visit CDT’s workforce development site.
ITLA is the flagship of CDT’s four academies; the others are the Project Management Leadership, Digital Services Innovation, and Information Security Leadership academies.
