In today’s rapidly evolving work landscape, federal employees face the ongoing challenge of identifying the necessary skills and knowledge to advance their careers. Technological advancements, automation, and the emergence of new job functions are reshaping the professional trajectory. This dynamic environment emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and adaptation within a knowledge-driven economy that demands increasingly sophisticated skills and expertise. To navigate this complex terrain, a robust Career Development Planning Tool becomes indispensable for federal employees seeking to proactively manage their professional growth.
Recognizing this critical need, the CFO Council has introduced a government-wide Career Planning and Training Tool (CPTT). This initiative is specifically designed to streamline and enhance career planning processes for federal employees. The CPTT serves as a valuable resource, connecting individuals with essential training opportunities that facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skills necessary to remain competitive and thrive amidst evolving professional demands. This career development planning tool is poised to become a cornerstone of workforce empowerment within the federal sector.
This CPTT operates as a proof of concept, establishing a unique partnership between the public and private sectors. This framework aims to create a more agile and centralized system for federal career planning, training, and professional development. As an initial prototype, the CPTT’s core functionality is intentionally foundational. However, increased engagement, demand, and utilization by federal employees will likely catalyze further investment. This could lead to the expansion of the CPTT’s features, functionality, and broader accessibility across diverse segments of the federal workforce. The future evolution of this career development planning tool is intrinsically linked to user participation and feedback.
Your active involvement in this pilot program is crucial to the ongoing effort to strengthen federal career planning and development initiatives. If you recognize the value and necessity of such a resource and wish to see its capabilities expanded, your support is vital. Demonstrate your commitment to this initiative by: (1) utilizing the CPTT to enroll in courses offered by partner vendors, (2) promoting awareness among your colleagues and management, and (3) providing constructive feedback regarding your user experience and suggestions for enhancement. Your insights on the CPTT’s accessibility, usability, functionality, and outreach are highly valued. Please direct your feedback to: [email protected]. Your input will directly shape the future iterations of this crucial career development planning tool.
The primary objective of this initial CPTT version is to provide an accessible and user-friendly career development planning tool that simplifies fundamental career planning and facilitates seamless access to relevant, timely, and cost-effective training programs.
As a pilot project, the current tool is focused on the four most prevalent job series within the financial management community. Users can begin exploring the tool by applying filters for “Job Series” and “GS Level.” Upon selecting these filters, virtual “cards” containing career guidance will be displayed centrally on the screen and below. These virtual cards are the heart of this career development planning tool, offering targeted advice and resources.
Each virtual card is dedicated to a specific, highly relevant “competency.” It provides a general overview of the competency, outlines associated behaviors, and defines proficiency levels. The information presented on these cards reflects the CFO Council’s collective understanding of the essential knowledge and skills required at each GS-Level stage within each job series. Crucially, these cards also incorporate embedded links to courses offered by vendor partners, designed to assist users in mastering various facets of each competency. These vendor partners provide a diverse array of course formats and learning methodologies, including online, on-site, hybrid, micro-learning, cohort-based, and many others. These courses are readily available for purchase using government purchase cards (it’s important to note that government purchase card transactions are capped at $10,000; most courses fall well below this limit). By clicking on the embedded links to vendor websites, users can investigate their extensive and pertinent training offerings, all accessible through this career development planning tool.
In total, up to 54 competency variations (cards) may be relevant to each job series. Within the CPTT, the information displayed on virtual cards automatically adjusts based on the selected filters. The chosen GS-Level directly influences the proficiency and behavioral career planning and training guidance presented on the cards. For instance, individuals at the beginning of their career journey (e.g., GS Levels 7-9) will see cards featuring foundational information. Conversely, more experienced personnel (e.g., GS Levels 14-15) will encounter cards providing more advanced and specialized guidance. This adaptive feature makes the career development planning tool relevant across different career stages.
Federal employees can leverage this career development planning tool in numerous ways. After applying filters for their current job series and GS-level, employees can utilize the information on the cards as a checklist to evaluate their existing knowledge base and identify areas for development. Furthermore, the tool enables employees to research recommended knowledge and skills for different job series or GS levels. This is particularly valuable for those considering a lateral career move or seeking advancement. Supervisors can also utilize the CPTT to pinpoint critical experience and training needs for their team members’ professional growth. This versatility positions the CPTT as a comprehensive career development planning tool for both individual employees and managers.
Once a user identifies a knowledge gap using this career development planning tool, they can utilize the embedded web links to explore available external training options. When selecting a course, users should adhere to their respective agency’s policies regarding training procurement.
Click here to access additional information about this initiative.
The CPTT initiative has partnered with several training course providers (listed below). These providers offer vetted and competitively-selected courses that directly align with specific CPTT career competencies. As you navigate the tool and explore the courses, you will gain deeper insights into their offerings. Document links containing supplementary information about each provider are provided below. These links generally summarize the scope of their course offerings, detail their purchasing procedures, and offer other pertinent information to aid in your purchase decisions when using this career development planning tool.
For any feedback, questions, or concerns, please contact us at [email protected]. We are committed to continuously improving this career development planning tool to better serve the federal workforce.
