A pilot program that involved retraining about 30 current employees for cybersecurity positions but that program qualified them only for entry-level positions, paying less. Image: Sergey Saulyak/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffA bipartisan Senate bill (S-1330) would expand and learn the lessons from a prior program seeking to “reskill” federal employees for high-demand occupations, according to a report on the bill.
Although time is running out in the current Congress for final approval of the bill, the report notes that the GAO has warned repeatedly about “persistent skills gaps” in federal agencies, indicating that the effort could be pursued in the new Congress.
“The shortage of cybersecurity professionals in government is well-documented and much-discussed; however, GAO reports that many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations also suffer from critical gaps,” it says. “Though there are some ongoing efforts on the part of the Office of Personnel Management to address these challenges, GAO makes clear that more must be done.”
The report noted that the Trump administration operated a pilot program that involved retraining about 30 current employees for cybersecurity positions but that program qualified them only for entry-level positions “which paid significantly less than their current positions. Because this established a clear disincentive to seek a new position in cybersecurity, the program did not result in new positions for the participants.”
The bill would authorize reskilling programs across the government, including requirements that: participating employees can be transferred to new positions which use the skills acquired in the program; they maintain their pay grade when transferred to a new position; and they will be returned to their original position if unsuccessful in a new position. It meanwhile would prohibit an employee serving in the excepted service from transferring to a position in the competitive service solely by reason of completion of the reskilling program.
Key Bill Takes No Action on Potential Future Schedule F
DoD Bill Assumes 4.6 Percent Pay Raise, Includes Range of Other Provisions
End of Open Season Approaching – Last-Minute Considerations
Court Rejects Claims for Back Pay Related to Shutdowns
Deadlines ahead for FLTCIP Enrollments, Filing Claims over Data Breach
HHS, GSA Top the Rankings in Viewpoint Survey for Agencies Their Size
It’s Déjà vu Again as Funding Deadline Approaches; DoD Bill also Still Pending
First Move Made against IRS Funding, Employment Boost
TSP Stock Funds Post Returns to Be Thankful For in November
Extra Time Off around Christmas Holiday Unlikely This Year
Late-Year Retirement Considerations: 2022 Has Advantages for Feds
See also,
The Process of Retiring: Check Your Agency’s Work
Early Marker for 2024 Raise Set: 5.2 Percent
Pay Attention to Family vs. Self Plus One Rates in FEHB, OPM Advises
FERS Retirement Planning Bundle: 2022 FERS Guide & TSP Handbook
