FedRecruit: IT Kickoff Event (Phase II)
On Monday, March 8, the Partnership for Public Service released an issue brief on the state of the IT workforce that highlights the growing need for IT talent, an increasing retirement eligibility and insufficient talent pipelines.
Link to the issue brief here:
http://www.ourpublicservice.org/OPS/documents/IT%20Issue%20Brief%20Final.pdf
The kickoff event highlighted the launch of Phase II of the Partnership’s three-year pilot project focusing on the recruitment, hiring, and onboarding of entry-level talent in mission-critical occupations. Participating federal agencies discussed strategies to build talent pipelines, develop innovative approaches to branding and messaging on college campuses, and adopt best practices from the public, private, and non-profit sectors.
The IT recruitment program is phase two of the three focuses in the FedRecruit program. Earlier this year, the Partnership launched a pilot focused on the recruitment and retention of entry-level acquisition professionals. The third phase will focus on nursing and public health professionals.
In your view, what three things are most important in the effort to retain top IT talent?
-ability to make an impact
-quick turnaround from development to implementation
-streamlining hiring process – have to move quick if competing for top IT talent with the google/microsoft/apples of the world
Yes, the tactical is very important, but I think we also need to address the cultural issues that will plague the Fed space. We have great talent in house and in the community, but both operate very differently based on their experience and how they have been able to adapt and leverage old and new technologies. Change is happening and cultural change is happening, but how do we not lose the knowledge base, maintain the respect for the knowledge base that exists and allow collaborative learning all around.
– Streamlined hiring process
– Training opportunities
– Chance to use cutting-edge technologies
Agree 100% that streamlining the hiring is a must – good talent doesn’t wait 8 months for an invitation to interview…
I would say tying the IT work to the public good… making the connection between the programming and keeping kids safe – or their work in networking and how it impacts healthy communities. Particularly with this generation of new employees who seem to really see the value in making a real difference.
Finally – clear paths of advancement that include both a technical and supervisory paths – we lose good techs because if they want to earn more they need to move into management roles – and we encourage IT talent to go when we don’t help them grow in their fields of choice.