IT training programs can be linked to form federal plan, report says

An array of existing federal training programs in information technology can be linked to form a governmentwide effort, according to a report released last week by the Office of Personnel Management.

The report was developed by OPM to assess IT training programs and their ability to meet the Clinger-Cohen core competencies-a baseline developed in 1997 and updated periodically by one of the federal government's top technology panels. The core competencies are designed to be used by federal agencies trying to comply with requirements in the 1996 Information Technology Management Reform Act, also known as the Clinger-Cohen Act. It requires agencies to determine their technology competency requirements and also assess how close they are to meeting those standards.

"OPM believes that the programs addressed in this report can be the foundation of a governmentwide IT training framework," according to the report. "All programs reviewed in this report are driven by the Clinger-Cohen core competencies as outlined by the Federal CIO Council, address the different levels of IT development, and have built-in program assessment and update capabilities."

The report was written for the House Government Reform and Senate Governmental Affairs committees. Committee officials did not respond to requests for comment on the recommendations.

The OPM report surveyed the CIO University and the Strategic and Tactical Advocates for Results program at the General Services Administration, the Pentagon's Information Resources Management College, the Agriculture Department's Graduate School, and OPM's own Federal Executive Institute and Management Development Centers.

The office did not recommend specific changes, but the report put forth several ideas for integrating the separate efforts, including the expansion of an existing IT training "road map" that would help direct federal workers and agencies to appropriate training programs.

"There are no current recommendations for improving these existing IT training programs," the report said. "However, we recommend that a governmentwide IT training framework be established using the IT Workforce Development Roadmap to link the programs discussed in this report, as well as the IT Exchange Program."

The exchange program would encourage temporary placements for "promising individuals from the federal government and the private sector to share, rather than compete for, critical IT expertise," according to the report.

OPM was not able to provide any cost estimate for the transition to an integrated training program or the maintenance of such a system.