Investing in an effective federal workforce : hearing before the Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia Subcommittee of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, second session, September 19, 2012.
Successful businesses have spent the past two decades retooling and rethinking how to manage their people better. Most big companies that have survived and prospered in the 21st century view employees as a vital strategic asset. In comparison, the U.S. federal government is a Stone Age relic, with its top-down bureaucracy, stovepiping of labor and responsibilities, and lack of training and investment in its own public servants. The inevitable result is a government not keeping up with the complex demands placed on it. In T he People Factor, Linda Bilmes and Scott Gould present a blueprint for reinvigorating the public sector in order to deliver results for America. Their premise is that the federal government can achieve the same gains as the best private sector and military organizations by managing its people better. Their new vision for public service is based on "The People Factor," a set of management tools drawn from best practices in successful companies, the military, and high-performing government agencies. Part One of The People Factor book shows why the U.S. personnel system needs reform, revealing the high price of inaction. Part Two lays out the specific steps that must be taken to achieve the necessary gains. Part Three focuses on how to implement the People Factor and make the authors' vision a reality. They argue that the next president needs to turn this issue into a top priority and use political capital to push reform. Highlights of the book include: • Extensive original survey research • Case studies from government and the military • Interviews with leading thinkers on strategic human capital • A number of specific proposed innovations • A detailed proposal for a nationwide effort to train and revitalize the public service
Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia
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With the United States' choice for future employment being "high skills or low wages," the challenge to business and industry is to build, in partnership with public agencies, a cohesive management system that would invest in three critical areas of the work force: building a strong foundation of basic skills to help noncollege-bound youth enter the work force; providing continuing education and training for workers; and building a better "second chance" training and education system for working-age youth and adults who face special barriers to employment. To meet this challenge, the National Alliance of Business (NAB) proposes that business and government in each state and local community develop a "work force investment system" that links existing training and education institutions in an effective partnership to build a highly skilled, high performance labor force. If such a system is to be real and permanent, it should be built on guiding principles such as ease of access, broad inclusiveness, public-private partnership, market base, and concerted action at the national, state, and local levels. A proposed work force investment system model for the future couples delivery system reform with a broader role in the labor market for that system. Such a system would be characterized by a common point or points of intake, individualized assessment of clients to determine their service needs, a form of case management to see participants through the system, and a common system of placement that employers could readily access. Present federal and federal-state programs could be integrated into such a program, and local businesses would take the initiative to structure local solutions to problems confronting the mainstream work force. This model is appropriate and could be attainable for the U.S. labor market. (This report describes several state work force investment systems and local programs as well as the Training and Enterprise Councils system in Great Britain.) (KC)
" OPM and agency CHCOs play an important role in ensuring that federal training dollars are invested effectively. GAO was asked to review the extent to which: (1) CHCOs of selected federal agencies have established processes to set and prioritize training investments that are aligned with leading practices; and (2) OPM's guidance and assistance for developing training investment strategies align with these leading practices. GAO obtained information from 27 CHCOs on their training investment practices through a questionnaire, and selected four agencies-the Departments of Energy (DOE), Homeland Security (DHS), the Interior (DOI) and Veterans Affairs (VA)-to provide illustrative examples. We compared both CHCO and OPM practices to leading practices, identified through past GAO and expert studies. "
This is the committee's fourth opportunity to example the challenges and successes of the federal job education system. For several months, we have been working to detect what a 21st century workforce investment system should look like, and identify the responsible reforms necessary to help get us there. As a result, we have gained a greater understanding of the changes that must be undertaken to build a stronger, more competitive workforce. One of the most important things we have learned through these hearings is that the status quo is no longer acceptable. Particularly in times of record debt and persistently high unemployment, we need a system that is efficient and effective. Wasting State and federal resources is a disservice to taxpayers and workers. Earlier this year, the Government Accountability Office identified 47 job programs administered across nine federal agencies at a cost of $18 billion. Forty-four of these programs overlap, serving similar populations. Barely a handful have been reviewed for effectiveness.
Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia
