1. Strategies for Recruiting Professionals Ira L. Hobbs CIO, U. S
Strategies for Recruiting Professionals Ira L. Hobbs CIO, U.S. Department of the Treasury Co-Chair, CIOC IT Workforce Committee
North American Day 2006

2. Federal Chief Information Officers Council IT Workforce Committee
Government’s key advocate for strategies to recruit, develop and maintain the federal IT workforce
Close collaboration with government-wide and individual agency representatives, and
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
General Services Administration (GSA)
Broad agenda encompasses the full employment life cycle: workforce planning, recruitment and retention, career development

3. Strategic Focus on Recruiting
26% of federal IT employees surveyed indicate they plan to retire in the next 6 years – 2004 IT Workforce Capability Assessment Survey
Agencies must attract top talent to meet mission needs and to close competency gaps
We must grow the next generation of the federal IT workforce

4. Growing and Sustaining the IT Workforce
Preparing the Ground
Biennial update of Clinger-Cohen Core Competencies
Updating job classification/skills requirements
Seeding the Field
High School Outreach
Scholarship for Service
Nurturing Growth
CIO University
IT Exchange Program
IT Quarterly Forum
G2G EA/IA/ITPM Symposium
Harvest and Sustainment
Recruitment and retention flexibilities
Virtual hiring
Targeted recruitment

5. Clinger-Cohen Core Competencies
Established in 1997; updated biennially
Core knowledge requirements identified for CIO staff
2006 update ongoing (to be released Summer 2006)
Capital Planning and Investment Assessment
Acquisition
E-Government/Electronic Business/Electronic Commerce
IT Security/Information Assurance
Enterprise Architecture
Technical
Policy and Organizational
Leadership/Managerial
Process/Change Management
Information Resources Strategy and Planning
Performance Assessment: Models and Methods
Project/Program Management

6. Continuous Update of Job Categories and Requirements
Ability to identify and target specialties in the dynamic IT field is critical to successful recruiting
IT Specialist series established in 2001
IT Project Management titling established in 2003
Review of federal-wide project/program management skills/competencies ongoing
Establishment of IT Architecture classification standards targeted for 2007

7. High School Outreach Reach for talent begins early
CIO Council representatives visit High School Career Days
Agencies sponsor Groundhog Job Shadow Day- high school students visit federal agencies
Lisa Winkler Memorial Scholarship- Awarded to high performing students to pursue IT studies

8. Scholarship for Service Filling Critical Cyber Security Positions
Bachelor’s and Graduate Degree scholarships to students enrolled in Information Assurance field at Centers of Academic Excellence
Tuition, books, fees, annual stipend
Graduates - 416
BS: 77; MS: 337; PhD: 2
2006 Graduates - 174
BS: 49; MS: 124; PhD: 1
2007 and later - 143
BS: 43; MS: 98; PhD: 2
Summer internship
Federal service requirement equal to length of scholarship

9. CIO University Providing Continuous Learning is a Key Recruitment Tool
George Mason University
LaSalle University
Virtual consortium of 6 prestigious universities
Curriculum based on Clinger-Cohen Core Competencies
Master’s Degree/Graduate Level Certificate Programs in IT Management
Carnegie Mellon
Syracuse University
Substantial growth since its inception six years ago
George Washington University
University of Maryland University College
Over 600 graduates to date

10. IT Exchange Program (ITEP) Partnering with Industry
Established by E-Government Act of 2002
Two basic features
Temporary detail of civilian federal IT Management (ITM) employees to private sector
Temporary detail of ITM private sector employees to Federal Government
Initial assignments are 3 months to 1 year in length
Authorized for GS-11/above & career senior executives
Allows industry and government to learn from each other
Enables Agencies to close skill gaps

11. Government to Government
Federal IT Seminars
G2G
Government to Government
IT Quarterly Forum
New seminar under development
Targeted to senior/mid-level employees
Focus: Hot federal IT topics important to achieving the President’s Management Agenda
Enterprise Architecture
IT Project Management
Cyber Security
Sponsored by GSA and IT Workforce Committee
FREE forums featuring key government experts
Focus on current hot topics
Enterprise Architecture
Emergency Preparedness and Response
Employee and Contractor Identification Standards (HSPD 12)

12. Recruitment and Retention Flexibilities IT Special Salary Rates
Established in 2001; used to address existing or likely significant gaps in recruiting or retaining well-qualified employees.
Targeted towards entry-level and developmental-level Federal IT workers with the latest skills.
At the time of inception, produced overall net increases of 7 percent to 33 percent for the IT workers.
Skill areas authorized: Computer Scientists, Computer Engineers and IT Specialists (10 specialty areas).

13. Recruitment and Retention Flexibilities
Annual Leave Enhancement for newly appointed Federal workers (April 2005) – Earn vacation time faster
Enhanced Recruitment, Relocation and Retention Bonuses (May 2005)
Direct Hire Authority – Streamlined hiring process for critical skills personnel (June 2003 for IT security workforce)
Compensatory Time Off for Travel (January 2005)

14. The Value of Virtual Hiring
In response to the slowing U.S. economy and failure of many “dot-coms”, in 2002, CIOC teamed with OPM to hold the first Virtual IT Job Fair.
The website recorded nearly 2.3 million hits during the two weeks that it was active.
The speed of the total hiring time was cut from months to 4-6 weeks.
Some agencies were able to make “on the spot” offers within 15 days of closing the web site and first person was on board within 3 weeks – unique for federal hiring.
The overall skill caliber of the candidates was
exceptionally high.

15. Identifying the Critical Skill Needs
Source: OMB FY07 IT Budget Report March 2006

16. CIO, U.S. Department of the Treasury
For more information…
Ira L. Hobbs
CIO, U.S. Department of the Treasury