> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.therisk.global/organization/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.therisk.global/organization/programme/academy.md).

# Risk Academy

Risk Academy, the teaching pillar of the Nexus programme: free to study, taught in the open on real cycle work, with completion records and, once its prerequisites exist, credentials issued by GCRI Ca

*Where this fits: applied response. Pillar:* [*Risk Academy*](/organization/institutions/risk-academy.md)*. Institutions: GCRI Canada (issuer of record), with GCRI, GRF and GRA as course providers. Phases: planning, readiness preparation, closeout, renewal. Kind: pillar page.*

**In brief.** Risk Academy is where the programme teaches, in the open, in real places and for impact, by learning on real cycle work. It is led by the Nexus Consortium and is free to study ([Academy in the ecosystem](https://risksacademy.com/ecosystem/)). GCRI, GRF and GRA author courses in their own domains, hosted on Risk Academy ([GCRI learning and courses](https://therisk.global/programmes/academy/)). Completing a course gives a completion record. No credential has been issued: GCRI Canada is the issuer of record, and nothing is credentialed until the assessment method, the signing key and the status and revocation path are on record.

> **Boundary.** "A completion record is not a licence to practise, and no credential is issued until an accountable issuer, an assessment method and a revocation path are on record."

<figure><picture><source srcset="/files/9belu5boxMN2yEu7JAXl" media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)"><img src="https://2655483226-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FEQtittnb4JJQ2YOtd2tk%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-23c121e298685d973802589612716e205f98d235%2Fprogramme-academy-light.svg?alt=media" alt="Risk Academy on the hexagon of the six pillars, with the pillars it hands work to or receives work from selected, every handoff among those pillars, and the phases of the programme year in which recorded handoffs happen. Pillars it exchanges no work with are shown unselected."></picture><figcaption><p><strong>Risk Academy in the programme.</strong> A designed programme cycle, not a record of operation. Handoff identifiers F01 to F14 and R1 to R4 as in the sites' pillar model. Source: the sectors and pillars model published on the GCRI, GRF and GRA home pages, vendored and hash-pinned in tools/figures/vendor/nexus-model. As of 2026-10-21.</p></figcaption></figure>

<details>

<summary>Figure data (text alternative)</summary>

| Element               | Kind            | Description                                                                                                                                                         | Value                 |
| --------------------- | --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------- |
| F01                   | Handoff         | Universe to Foundry: Admitted mission becomes a cycle project with a decision case                                                                                  | Readiness preparation |
| F02                   | Handoff         | Foundry to Universe: Core Build Report and go or no-go evidence                                                                                                     | Controlled build      |
| F03                   | Handoff         | Foundry to Reports: Sealed observations and indicator series behind a profile                                                                                       | Closeout              |
| F04                   | Handoff         | Universe to Reports: After-action and scenario findings for chapters 10 and 13                                                                                      | After-action review   |
| F05                   | Handoff         | Foundry to Reports: National Portfolio movement for chapter 11                                                                                                      | After-action review   |
| F06                   | Handoff         | Reports to Standards: Method and correction findings as change proposals                                                                                            | Correction            |
| F07                   | Handoff         | Universe to Standards: Docket items that need a standard or a profile                                                                                               | Docket review         |
| F08                   | Handoff         | Standards to Foundry: Composed mission profiles and national adoption records                                                                                       | Readiness preparation |
| F09                   | Handoff in play | Standards to Academy: Each adopted standard or profile becomes a course module                                                                                      | Renewal               |
| F10                   | Handoff in play | Universe to Academy: Assessed cycle tasks become completion evidence                                                                                                | Closeout              |
| F11                   | Handoff in play | Academy to Universe: Qualified participants for the next cycle's roles                                                                                              | Renewal               |
| F12                   | Handoff         | Reports to Universe: Q4 synthesis informs the next-year mandate                                                                                                     | Renewal               |
| F13                   | Handoff         | Foundry to Standards: Validation and monitoring evidence for conformance review                                                                                     | Controlled build      |
| F14                   | Handoff in play | Foundry to Academy: Each system's rooms become a learning-by-doing course                                                                                           | Planning              |
| R1                    | Handoff         | Standards to Reports: Applied in editions                                                                                                                           | Around the ring       |
| R2                    | Handoff in play | Reports to Academy: Taught in the open                                                                                                                              | Around the ring       |
| R3                    | Handoff in play | Academy to Labs: Questions become experiments                                                                                                                       | Around the ring       |
| R4                    | Handoff         | Labs to Foundry: Tested prototypes are built                                                                                                                        | Around the ring       |
| Labs                  | Pillar          | Explore, experiment and prototype                                                                                                                                   | in this route         |
| Foundry               | Pillar          | Build, simulate and prepare                                                                                                                                         | in this route         |
| Universe              | Pillar          | Convene and test                                                                                                                                                    | in this route         |
| Standards             | Pillar          | Codify, correct and apply                                                                                                                                           | in this route         |
| Reports               | Pillar          | Publish in every format                                                                                                                                             | in this route         |
| Academy               | Pillar          | Teach in the open                                                                                                                                                   | in this route         |
| Planning              | Phase (Q1, G0)  | F14 Each system's rooms become a learning-by-doing course                                                                                                           | 1 handoff(s)          |
| Readiness preparation | Phase (Q2, G2)  | F01 Admitted mission becomes a cycle project with a decision case; F08 Composed mission profiles and national adoption records                                      | 2 handoff(s)          |
| Controlled build      | Phase (Q2, G3)  | F02 Core Build Report and go or no-go evidence; F13 Validation and monitoring evidence for conformance review                                                       | 2 handoff(s)          |
| Closeout              | Phase (Q3, G5)  | F03 Sealed observations and indicator series behind a profile; F10 Assessed cycle tasks become completion evidence                                                  | 2 handoff(s)          |
| After-action review   | Phase (Q3)      | F04 After-action and scenario findings for chapters 10 and 13; F05 National Portfolio movement for chapter 11                                                       | 2 handoff(s)          |
| Correction            | Phase (Q4)      | F06 Method and correction findings as change proposals                                                                                                              | 1 handoff(s)          |
| Docket review         | Phase (Q4)      | F07 Docket items that need a standard or a profile                                                                                                                  | 1 handoff(s)          |
| Renewal               | Phase (Q4, G7)  | F09 Each adopted standard or profile becomes a course module; F11 Qualified participants for the next cycle's roles; F12 Q4 synthesis informs the next-year mandate | 3 handoff(s)          |

</details>

## How Risk Academy works

**Learning by doing.** Each Foundry system's rooms become a learning-by-doing course (F14). Admitted roles take qualification courses before the build, exercise performance is assessed in Action Week, assessed cycle tasks become completion evidence at closeout (F10), and qualified participants take roles in the next cycle (F11). Each adopted standard or profile becomes a course module (F09).

**Programme and paradigm.** Risk Academy teaches through nine faculties ([Faculties](https://risksacademy.com/faculties/)) and five streams at four levels ([Programme](https://risksacademy.com/programme/)). Its paradigm, Nexus-Based Risk Management, keeps enterprise risk management, [ISO 31000](https://www.iso.org/standard/65694.html) and COSO as its entity layer, "ERM inside, NRM outside" ([NRM](https://risksacademy.com/nrm/)). Completion is strict, with labs checked on the server ([How learning works](https://risksacademy.com/how-learning-works/)).

**Tracks, levels and formats.** The programme spine sets the tracks, the achievement levels, the open credential formats and the issuance rule, generated below. The formats are open standards: [Open Badges 3.0](https://www.imsglobal.org/spec/ob/v3p0/) of 1EdTech and the [W3C Verifiable Credentials Data Model 2.0](https://www.w3.org/TR/vc-data-model-2.0/), with the European Learning Model of the European Commission.

|                            |                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| -------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Tracks                     | Foundry systems; Nexus Standards; Programme roles; Evidence and reporting; Leadership                                                                                                                            |
| Achievement levels         | A1 Course completion; A2 Microcredential; A3 Role qualification; A4 Cycle achievement                                                                                                                            |
| Credential formats         | Open Badges 3.0; Verifiable Credentials Data Model 2.0; European Learning Model                                                                                                                                  |
| Issuance rule              | GCRI Canada is the issuer of record. No credential is issued until the assessment method, the signing key and the status and revocation path are on record. Until then completion is recorded, not credentialed. |
| Credentials issued to date | 0                                                                                                                                                                                                                |

**What a record is not.** A completion record is not a licence to practise, a professional qualification or an accreditation. It records that a course was completed under a stated assessment method, and nothing more.

## The pillar in the model

The tables in this section are generated from the sites' pillar model, so they match the GCRI, GRF and GRA home pages.

### At a glance

What the pillar does, the records it owns, the boundary it keeps and where it is published.

|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Does            | Publishes a course for every system, standard and programme role; Assesses learning on real cycle tasks; Issues microcredentials and achievements through accountable issuers; Feeds qualified people into the next cycle |
| Records it owns | Learning pathways and courses; Cohorts and enrolments; Assessment evidence; Completion records; Credential issuance records                                                                                               |
| Boundary        | A completion record is not a licence to practise, and no credential is issued until an accountable issuer, an assessment method and a revocation path are on record.                                                      |
| Public home     | [risksacademy.com](https://risksacademy.com/academy-home/)                                                                                                                                                                |
| Further pages   | [Faculties](https://risksacademy.com/faculties/)                                                                                                                                                                          |

### Handoffs

The handoffs this pillar sends and receives. Recorded handoffs (F01 to F14) happen in a named phase; ring handoffs (R1 to R4) run continuously.

| Id  | Direction                                                    | Phase      | What moves                                               |
| --- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| F09 | From [Nexus Standards](/organization/programme/standards.md) | Renewal    | Each adopted standard or profile becomes a course module |
| F10 | From [Nexus Universe](/organization/programme/universe.md)   | Closeout   | Assessed cycle tasks become completion evidence          |
| F11 | To [Nexus Universe](/organization/programme/universe.md)     | Renewal    | Qualified participants for the next cycle's roles        |
| F14 | From [Foundry](/organization/programme/foundry.md)           | Planning   | Each system's rooms become a learning-by-doing course    |
| R2  | From [Nexus Reports](/organization/programme/reports.md)     | Continuous | Taught in the open                                       |
| R3  | To [Labs](/organization/programme/labs.md)                   | Continuous | Questions become experiments                             |

### Through the year

What the pillar does in each quarter and in each phase of the programme year.

| Quarter | Edition                      | What this pillar does                        |
| ------- | ---------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| Q1      | State and Agenda             | Pathways open; cohorts enrol                 |
| Q2      | Evidence and Build           | Qualification courses; learning on the build |
| Q3      | Stress Test and Readiness    | Exercise assessments; completion records     |
| Q4      | Annual Synthesis and Renewal | Course revisions; next cohorts open          |

| Phase                 | Quarter | Gate | Work in this phase                                                                          |
| --------------------- | ------- | ---- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Planning              | Q1      | G0   | Opens the year's pathways and enrols cohorts tied to the missions.                          |
| Readiness preparation | Q2      | G2   | Runs the qualification courses that admitted roles require before the build.                |
| Controlled build      | Q2      | G3   | Teams learn on the build itself; assessed tasks are real build tickets.                     |
| Action Week           | Q3      | G4   | Assesses performance in the exercise against stated objectives.                             |
| Stand-down            | Q3      | –    | Closes exercise assessments and preserves the evidence.                                     |
| Closeout              | Q3      | G5   | Writes completion records for assessed participants.                                        |
| After-action review   | Q3      | –    | Turns findings into new or revised course material.                                         |
| Reporting             | Q4      | G6   | GCRI Canada issues credentials where assessment supports them and the issuance rule is met. |
| Correction            | Q4      | –    | Updates any course that taught the corrected finding.                                       |
| Docket review         | Q4      | –    | Plans the next year's pathways from the gaps found.                                         |
| Network review        | Q4      | –    | Updates technical courses for operators of shared computing.                                |
| Renewal               | Q4      | G7   | Opens next-cycle cohorts for credentialed and new participants.                             |

### At each scale

What the pillar does locally, nationally, regionally and at planetary scale.

| Scale     | What this pillar does at that scale                                                      |
| --------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Local     | Courses are taught on real locations, so learners work on the place they study.          |
| National  | Cohorts are tied to the missions of each national programme.                             |
| Regional  | Pathways are shared across the countries of a region where the same systems are at risk. |
| Planetary | Courses are open, so anyone anywhere can learn on the same material.                     |

### In each operating area

The fourteen operating areas the programme answers for, as this pillar answers them.

| Area                   | Question                                            | For this pillar                                                                                                                                                     |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Leadership             | Who leads, and on what record.                      | Course leads and assessors lead learning on real cycle tasks, and the leadership track teaches decision-making under uncertainty, with a mandate and on the record. |
| Strategy               | How the year's priorities are set.                  | The year's pathways are planned from the missions and from the gaps the previous cycle found.                                                                       |
| Cadence                | When the work happens in the year.                  | Cohorts open at planning, qualification courses run before the build, assessments close after Action Week, and next-cycle cohorts open at renewal.                  |
| Ownership              | Which records each pillar owns.                     | Owns learning pathways and courses, cohorts and enrolments, assessment evidence and completion records.                                                             |
| Process                | How work moves, step by step.                       | Enrol, learn on a real cycle task, be assessed against stated objectives, and leave with a completion record.                                                       |
| Development            | What is developed, and how capacity grows.          | Develops a course for every system, standard and programme role, revised when cycle findings change what should be taught.                                          |
| Simulations            | How scenarios and exercises are run and read.       | Uses practice scenarios and exercise roles as the learning task, assessed against stated objectives.                                                                |
| Reporting              | How results reach the public record.                | Teaches evidence classes, review and correction, and learners contribute reviewed sections to an edition.                                                           |
| Governance             | Who decides, and what a decision is not.            | Risk Academy hosts the courses and the institutions author them; a completion record is not a licence to practise.                                                  |
| Data and evidence      | Where the evidence comes from and how it is kept.   | Assessment evidence comes from real cycle work and is kept with the task it assessed.                                                                               |
| Finance and resourcing | How work is resourced and made readable to finance. | Courses on Risk Academy are free, and its finance and economics faculty teaches how finance and insurance read risk evidence.                                       |
| Risk and assurance     | How errors are caught and limits are stated.        | Assessed work names its assessor, and performance in a programme role is assessed by an independent evaluator.                                                      |
| Participation          | Who takes part, and how.                            | Learners take part in reviewing and translating the standards and qualify for roles in the next cycle.                                                              |
| Communication          | How each pillar speaks in public.                   | Every course states what it teaches, what it does not confer and where its subject is applied in the Consortium.                                                    |

### Applied to the eight contexts

How the pillar would apply to each teaching context of the model, and the measure it would answer for. These are illustrative applications, not delivered projects.

| Context                                                             | Illustrative application                    | Measure                                | Applied |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | ------- |
| [Urban flood](/organization/model/scenarios/urban-flood.md)         | Course for utility and emergency operators  | Operators qualified (higher is better) | yes     |
| [Hydropower reservoir](/organization/model/scenarios/hydropower.md) | Course on multi-purpose reservoir operation | Operators qualified (higher is better) | –       |
| [Drought](/organization/model/scenarios/drought.md)                 | Course for basin and food-security officers | Officers qualified (higher is better)  | yes     |
| [Heatwave](/organization/model/scenarios/heatwave.md)               | Course for health and utility planners      | Planners qualified (higher is better)  | yes     |
| [Grid blackout](/organization/model/scenarios/blackout.md)          | Course on interdependent infrastructure     | Operators qualified (higher is better) | yes     |
| [Pandemic](/organization/model/scenarios/pandemic.md)               | Course for continuity managers              | Managers qualified (higher is better)  | yes     |
| [Pollinator decline](/organization/model/scenarios/pollinator.md)   | Course on nature-dependent farming          | Advisers qualified (higher is better)  | –       |
| [Coastal storm surge](/organization/model/scenarios/storm-surge.md) | Course for port and coastal managers        | Managers qualified (higher is better)  | –       |

### The institutions in this pillar

What GCRI, GRF and GRA each contribute.

| Institution | Contribution                                                                       |
| ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| GCRI        | Authors courses on methods, data and the Foundry systems, hosted on Risk Academy.  |
| GRF         | Authors courses on governance, policy and programme roles, hosted on Risk Academy. |
| GRA         | Authors courses on finance, insurance and readiness, hosted on Risk Academy.       |

## Read further

* [Programme](/organization/programme.md): the six pillars together.
* [The programme year](/organization/programme/the-programme-year.md): every phase, gate and actor.
* [The Nexus cycle](/organization/programme/the-nexus-cycle.md): from a question to renewal, and who decides.
* [The model](/organization/model.md): coupled risk and applied response.

## Sources

* Risk Academy, [Academy in the ecosystem](https://risksacademy.com/ecosystem/), [Programme](https://risksacademy.com/programme/), [Faculties](https://risksacademy.com/faculties/), [How learning works](https://risksacademy.com/how-learning-works/) and [NRM](https://risksacademy.com/nrm/), as of 2026-10-21.
* GCRI, [Learning and courses](https://therisk.global/programmes/academy/).
* 1EdTech. [Open Badges 3.0](https://www.imsglobal.org/spec/ob/v3p0/).
* W3C. [Verifiable Credentials Data Model v2.0](https://www.w3.org/TR/vc-data-model-2.0/).
* ISO (2018). [ISO 31000:2018 Risk management: Guidelines](https://www.iso.org/standard/65694.html).
* Pillar model and programme spine of the sites (vendored in the documentation repository, `tools/figures/vendor/nexus-model`): the source of every generated table on this page.


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