In the report, IT workers’ self-assessments remained similar
to the 2003 survey results and only two of the top 10
competencies were replaced in 2004, suggesting little gain
or loss of a particular technical competency overall, and
the rankings of competencies generally held steady.
It also said because there is little difference in the
skill set between the retiring population and the IT
workforce in general, no particular skill is at risk —
though project management is the highest ranked competency
at the intermediate, advanced and expert levels for those
planning to retire in the next three years, so that
proficiency should be watched to see if it drops over time.
One quarter of respondents said they would benefit from
training on the web technology competency, and about half
of those are grades GS-13 and above, suggesting the skill
is important in advanced or managerial IT activities,
said the survey.
Most respondents this year said, “they spend a moderate
or greater amount of time performing the customer support
specialized job activity,” possibly suggesting “a dominant
customer service-oriented culture that is inherent in a
broad array of activities of the federal IT workforce.”
