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Assessing the IT CivilianWorkforce of TodayThis article provides key findings, conclusionsand recommendations derived froman analysis of the federal informationtechnology workforce skills assessmentsurvey, which was conducted in September2003.The previous information technology (IT)workforce article, which appeared in CHIPSWinter 2004, (http://www.chips.navy.mil/archives/04_winter/Web_Pages/workforce.htm) provided a profile of the averagecivilian IT worker based on demographics,with an overview of the average IT worker’stechnical and general competencies, skills,certification areas and job activities. Thefollowing are some of the key findings.Key Demographic FindingsBased on the profile of the DON averagecivilian worker provided in Figure 1, the ITworkforce is aging, and there is a small percentageof younger IT workers to replacethose who will be leaving the workforcewithin the next 10 to 20 years.Profile of the Average IT Worker... is between 46 and 50 years of age... is a GS-12... has little or no private sector experience... is likely to retire in the next 10 to 20 years... is fairly mobile... holds a bachelor’s degree... has over 20 years of federal governmentexperienceFigure 1.Transferring knowledge from experiencedworkers to younger workers will be an increasinglycritical requirement for the longterm, but ensuring the existing workforcehas current and relevant competencies isthe higher priority for the near term. Attractingyounger IT workers and ensuringthe existing workforce has relevant competenciesare both difficult in a resourceconstrainedenvironment in which manyorganizations face ongoing restructuringand downsizing. Workforce planning iscritical to developing executable strategiesto address these challenges.Another interesting finding is that surveyrespondents indicate that they have verylittle private sector IT experience. This findingsupports the need to take advantage ofthe IT Exchange Program that is one of theprovisions contained in the E-GovernmentAct of 2002. This law authorizes the temporaryassignment of federal employeesin the field of IT management to exchangejobs with private sector organizations.There is a fair amount of mobility withinthe IT workforce, based on respondentswho indicated that they may leave theorganization in the next three years. Thiscould mean that the workforce does notperceive barriers to changing positions.Certain levels of turnover within theworkforce are expected — but too muchwould further exacerbate the challengesof ensuring a capable workforce.Finally, across the DON, there is no singlegrade level that will bear the impact ofretirement more than others, though forthe near term, GS-15 and Senior ExecutiveService grades will lose the most employeesdue to retirement. This findingis expected since grade and tenure areusually related.Key Competency, Skill andCertification FindingsThe survey asked respondents to provide aself-assessment of their current proficiencyin general and technical competencies,specific IT-related skills and certifications.Based on the responses, we found thatcompetency proficiency in the DON isgenerally higher than skill proficiency. Thiscould mean several things: (1) The workforceis equipped to handle complex jobs/activities without the need to understandthe details of how a particular technologyworks; (2) The work is less task-oriented,so skills may not be as central to the jobas competencies; (3) The workforce hasnot been given the opportunity (throughtraining, certification, etc.) to stay abreastof skills related to rapidly changing technologies;or (4) These may be functionsthat are outsourced.The Workforce team will be following up todetermine what these findings mean.Respondents rated their proficiency ingeneral competencies somewhat higherthan technical competencies. Among thetop 10 general competencies, Leadership(see Figure 2) is a main driver for employeesatisfaction as identified in the 2004 BestPlaces to Work in the Federal Government(available at www.feddesk.com).Best Places to Work Top DriversEffective LeadershipAlignment of Mission to Employee TalentsTeamwork and CollaborationSource: 2004 Best Places to Work in the FederalGovernmentFigure 2.In terms of IT skills, many of those inwhich the workforce indicated that theywere most proficient are ones consideredbasic or universal skills, such as using e-mail and Internet browsers. Conversely,many of the lower-rated skills are highlyspecialized, including portal developmentand biometrics.In general, few IT workers indicate they havecertifications related to their job areas. Lessthan 5 percent of respondents indicate thatthey have certifications in 42 of the 44 areasincluded in the survey. The areas in whichthere are relatively higher percentages ofindividuals with certifications are InformationSystems Security and NetworkSecurity.This is encouraging given its emphasis anddirect linkage to the DON mission. InformationAssurance competencies appearrelatively high, and there are noticeabletrends that as workers spend more timein IA activities, the higher their proficiencyin related competencies.CHIPS Spring 2004 17