For Federal Employees, navigating career advancement can often feel like a complex maze. The rapid pace of technological change is constantly reshaping the landscape of federal roles, with automation impacting traditional functions and creating demand for new skills in emerging areas. In today’s evolving “knowledge economy,” the need for continuous professional development and strategic career planning is more critical than ever.
Recognizing this need, the CFO Council has taken a proactive step to empower the Federal Financial Management workforce by introducing the government-wide Career Planning and Training Tool (CPTT). This innovative Career Planner Tool is designed to streamline and enhance the career planning process for federal employees, while simultaneously providing direct access to essential training resources. The ultimate goal is to equip the workforce with the evolving knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in this dynamic environment.
This CPTT initiative represents a forward-thinking proof of concept, uniquely blending public and private sector expertise to create a more agile and centralized system for federal career planning, training, and professional development. As an initial prototype, the CPTT offers foundational functionality. However, the future potential of this career planner tool is directly tied to user engagement. Increased interest, demand, and active utilization by federal employees will be crucial in securing further funding to expand the CPTT’s features, functionality, and broader accessibility across various sectors of the federal workforce.
Your participation in this pilot program is an opportunity to directly contribute to the enhancement of federal career planning and development. If you recognize the value of such a resource and wish to see its growth and expansion, there are several key ways to demonstrate your support for this initiative: (1) Utilize the CPTT to explore and enroll in courses offered by partner vendors, (2) Share information about the career planner tool with your colleagues and management, and (3) Provide valuable feedback on your user experience and suggest areas for improvement. Your insights on accessibility, usability, functionality, and outreach are essential and can be shared by contacting: [email protected].
The primary objective of this initial version of the CPTT is to deliver a user-friendly career planner tool that simplifies basic career planning and facilitates seamless access to relevant, timely, and cost-effective training opportunities.
As a proof of concept, the current iteration of the tool concentrates on the four most prevalent job series within the financial management community. To begin using the career planner tool, simply utilize the “Job Series” and “GS Level” filters. Upon selection, virtual “cards” containing tailored career guidance will appear in the central display area and below.
Each virtual card is designed to highlight a specific and relevant “competency,” offering a general description, associated behaviors, and proficiency levels. The information presented on these cards is based on the CFO Council’s expert consensus regarding the essential knowledge and skills required at each GS-Level stage for each job series. Furthermore, these cards include embedded links that directly connect to vendor courses designed to help users master specific aspects of each competency. Our partner vendors offer a diverse range of course types and learning modalities, including online, on-site, hybrid, micro-learning, cohort-style, and more. These courses are readily available for purchase using government purchase cards (note: government purchase card limits are $10,000; most courses are well below this threshold). By clicking on the vendor links, users can explore their comprehensive and varied training offerings.
In total, up to 54 competency variations (cards) may be relevant to each job series. Within the CPTT, the virtual card information dynamically adjusts based on the selected filters. The chosen GS-Level directly influences the proficiency and behavioral career planning and training guidance displayed on the cards. For instance, for those early in their careers (e.g., GS Levels 7-9), the cards will present foundational information. Conversely, for more experienced personnel (e.g., GS 14-15), the cards will showcase more advanced and specialized information.
Federal employees can leverage this career planner tool in numerous ways. After applying filters for their current job series and GS-level, employees can utilize the card information as a self-assessment checklist to evaluate their current knowledge and identify areas for development. The tool also serves as a valuable resource for researching recommended knowledge and skills needed to excel in different job series or GS levels, supporting both lateral career moves and upward advancement. Supervisors can also utilize the CPTT to pinpoint critical experience and training needs for their team members’ professional growth.
Once a user identifies a knowledge gap, the embedded web links provide direct access to explore available external training options. When selecting a course, users should adhere to their respective agency’s policies regarding training purchases.
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The CPTT initiative has partnered with several reputable training course providers (listed below). These providers offer vetted and competitively-selected courses that directly align with the specific career competencies outlined in the CPTT. As you navigate the career planner tool and explore the courses, you will gain a deeper understanding of their offerings. Document links containing helpful information about each provider are available below. These links typically provide an overview of their course offerings, details about their purchasing process, and other relevant information to assist in making informed purchase decisions.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] with any feedback, questions, or concerns you may have regarding this career planner tool.
