U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce
Link to FEORP Accessible Version Federal Workforce Blacks Hispanics Asian/Pacific Islanders Native Americans Women Agency FEORP Initiatives |
Agency FEORP Initiatives - An OverviewIn FY 2002, agencies took strategic steps to develop human resources (HR) initiatives in support of the Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program (FEORP). Significant HR activities, described in individual agency submissions, serve as a resource for agencies to use in developing their own programs. The HR initiatives fall into four categories: workforce planning, recruitment and outreach, mentoring, and career development opportunities. The HR initiatives complement agency activities listed under the Hispanic Nine-Point Plan. Workforce Planning The Corporation for National Service (CNS) conducted a special mailing to fill the four top positions in AmeriCorps. This recruitment effort emphasized attracting minority group members and women. The Corporation's Human Resources Office also attended various career fairs hosted by minority organizations. Several minorities and women also participated in the Corporation's Leadership Program and its Executive Leadership Program. The Department of Agriculture (Agriculture) developed a Human Capital Plan, which is linked to the Department's overall strategic plan. One of the key areas highlighted is diversity management, outlining how USDA will accomplish its diversity goals over the next five years. In FY 2002, USDA implemented parts of the human capital plan, e.g., the continued implementation of the Career Intern Program and the implementation of the Student Loan Repayment Program. USDA's Forest Service completed a workforce analysis that includes five-year projections of workforce needs, enhancing the ability of the agency and their diversity recruitment programs to determine what occupational series and workforce needs to target in recruitment efforts. The Department of the Treasury (Treasury) is helping to meet its human capital (HC) goals and objectives by aligning its affirmative employment initiatives, including the Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program, as strategic partners with other HC initiatives. Recruitment and Outreach The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) hired students to work in a variety of occupations, including Research Assistant, Office Automation Clerk, Office Automation Assistant, Law Clerk, Computer Clerk, and Clerk. Of the 118 students hired for these positions during FY 2002, 79 percent were women or minority group members. The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency's (CSOS) Office of Human Resources, with the help of the Bilingual Task Force within Community Supervision Services, advertised vacancies in bilingual communities and encouraged bilingual staff to consider transfers to critical areas where language interpretation was needed in order to meet the needs of the offenders. The Bilingual Task Force also developed partnerships with community organizations to facilitate the recruitment of bilingual staff; developed a Criminal Justice Institute at Bell Multi-Cultural High School dedicated to providing opportunities for students to learn about the criminal justice system and the agency; and (in conjunction with the Office of Human Resources) met with OPM's Office of Diversity to begin planning a course for 2003 on supervising diverse staff. This course will include instruction on recruitment and interviewing skills. The Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) employed four interns under the auspices of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). The Agency also sponsored an employment exhibit at the HACU conference. DCAA continues to maintain relationships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) headquarters reports that their current practices in college recruiting and use of OPM certificates and DFAS Delegated Examining Unit certificates of eligibles have helped them achieve a good representation of women and minorities in both applicant pools and selected candidates. Recruiting activities reported by DFAS central sites and field sites include attendance at minority career fairs and use of the Student Career Experience Program. Interns have also been hired through the Entry Level Professional Accountant Program, which has been used in conjunction with recruitment bonuses and agreements to partially repay student loans when interns are hired as full-time employees. Internships also have been offered through the Technology Services Career Intern Program. Some central site and field site recruitment has been conducted through visits to a historically Black university and to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities conference and career fair in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) made 877 promotions, of which 36.9 percent were minority group members and 57.1 percent were women. Thirty-four percent of employees who participated in formal training programs were minority group members and 48 percent were women. The Defense Inspector General's (DIG) Employment and Systems Division of the Human Resources Directorate continues to utilize all available Excepted Service and noncompetitive hiring authorities, including student employment programs, to expand opportunities for hiring eligible minority group members and women. This effort included initiatives to effectively utilize recruitment bonuses, accelerate promotions, and to capitalize upon the provisions of the Student Loan Payment Program. During FY 2002, new local human resources instructions were distributed to promote use of hiring incentives such as the Recruitment Bonus and the Special Loan Repayment. The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) directed 72 percent of its FY 2002 recruitment efforts to events targeted to a diverse population. These events included career fairs, information sessions, interviews and networking events. DIA representatives also attended the Historically Black Colleges and Universities conference, the Hispanic Serving Institutions conference and meetings of other organizations representing minority group members and women. DIA's Summer Intern Program hired 37 interns, 35 percent of whom were minority group members and 54 percent women. Of this group, two women interns were converted to full-time positions, one minority woman was placed in a part-time position, and seven minority group members and eight women were extended conditional offers for full-time positions contingent upon graduation. DIA has retained the services of a civilian advertising agency to promote career opportunities for minorities through media print advertisements and Internet advertisements. The Agency also placed job postings on web sites that target minorities and women. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) continues to maintain a relationship with professional organizations such as the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. As part of its Recruitment, Employment and Advancement for Latinos (REAL) initiative, DLA's leaders have made a commitment to visibly endorse proactive efforts to involve Hispanics in Government. DLA hired a professional Corporate Recruitment Analyst to guide, coordinate and oversee the development of a professionally trained cadre of recruiters. DLA has begun to partner with select Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) institutions. DLA also initiated a recruiting effort in Puerto Rico earlier this year that resulted in the hiring of 21 Hispanic interns into DLA's Corporate Intern Program (CIP). The Agency is continuing recruitment efforts with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has established partnerships with a number of colleges and high schools to encourage minority group members to participate in various student employment programs. DTRA also developed partnerships with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and minority institutions. Representatives of the Agency attended several job fairs during FY 2002, as well as the National IMAGE conference. The Department of Agriculture (Agriculture) has a national team of recruiters who reach into every state and almost every county in the country. This recruitment team is made up of agency recruiters, hundreds of employees, five Hispanic Serving Institution Liaisons assigned geographically across the country, and senior managers and executives who volunteer to participate in major recruitment and outreach activities. To assist this team, Agriculture implemented the Career Intern Program in March 2002. This program has helped the Department recruit and hire top notch college graduates and individuals with experience. As of September 2002, Agriculture had hired a diverse population of 85 individuals, more than half of them women. As a result of the overall recruitment effort, Agriculture hired almost ten thousand students in FY 2002, including 2,558 minority group members. Hispanic students increased almost 17 percent. Agriculture hired the second largest number of students of any Executive Branch Department in the Federal government. In September 2002, Agriculture participated in a national consultation with the Navajo Nation which involved 100 representatives from the Nation and over 60 Departmental employees. More than 400 students, faculty, and parents attended the career fairs in Arizona and New Mexico. The Department has the third highest employment percentage of American Indians in the Federal Government. Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service recruiters participated in 11 national or regional veterinarian conventions to explain employment opportunities. In addition, they made formal visits to 26 veterinary schools. Approximately 50 percent of the individuals contacted were women, and 38 percent of current applications are from women applicants. Agriculture's Forest Service contributed $250,000 to the Central California Consortium which works with underserved communities, primarily Hispanics in Central California. Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service in FY 2002 hired 62 individuals in four targeted occupational series (GS-1529 Mathematical Statistician; GS-1530 Agricultural Statistician; GS-2210 Information Technology Specialist; and GS-1531 Statistical Assistant). Of these new hires, 35 were minority group members and women represented 56 percent of the total. The Department of the Air Force (Air Force) Personnel Center's Recruitment Division sponsored recruitment booths at a number of conferences, including National Image, the NAACP, Blacks in Government, DOD's Hispanic Heritage Month symposium, and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities conference. Outreach activities included addresses to high school and college students at the DOD Hispanic Heritage Month symposium. A number of Air Force installations made specific contributions. For example, the Civilian Personnel Office (CPO) at Robins Air Force Base worked with a local Vo-Tech school to develop a program to increase the representation of minority group members and women in blue-collar occupations. The Department of Commerce's (Commerce) Census Bureau and the National Institute of Standards and Technologies conducted recruiting activities at educational institutions and professional associations with significant minority group populations. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office advertised job opportunities in the Winds of Change magazine to reach Native Americans, and placed recruitment advertisements in the professional journals Minority Engineer and Woman Engineer. Some Commerce entities were active in outreach activities during FY 2002. The International Trade Administration (ITA) drafted a cooperative agreement with the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation (UNCFSP)/Institute for International Public Policy (IIPP). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) made a donation to the Washington Metropolitan Consortium of Students in Science, Mathematics and Engineering in exchange for the summer internship services of 11 local high school students. The National Weather Service's Native American Special Emphasis Program Manager spoke at predominantly Native American Wyola High School and arranged for job shadowing experiences for students there. The Department of Defense's (DOD HQ) headquarters mailed copies of its CD-ROM "Worlds of Experience" to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions throughout the United States. This material is used as part of informal briefings to graduate school faculty and students to enhance their understanding of the Presidential Management Intern (PMI) program and its opportunities. Managers and personnel specialists from the Department also participated in job and career fairs at a number of institutions, some with large, diverse populations. Faculty, staff, and students at these schools were also briefed about the PMI Program and top graduate-level students were encouraged to apply for the program. DOD HQ continued to participate in the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) National Internship Program by hiring six HACU interns. DOD HQ also continued to support the DC Youth Program by hiring 20 DC Youth summer interns. The Department expanded its support of hiring Native Americans by participating in the Washington Internships for Native Students (WINS) Program. The WINS Program offers Native American students an opportunity to gain work experience while learning firsthand the inner workings of a Government agency. The Department of Education (Education) hired twelve students as part of a unique summer program to commemorate the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his contributions to civil and human rights in America. The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS’) Asian American Pacific Islander Initiative (AAPIs) represents 8.8 percent of the employees in the Senior Biomedical Research Service. The HHS Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed a CD ROM business card to introduce CMS with video, slide shows, music, narration, photos, and active links back to their web site. The Hispanic CD ROM will feature Hispanic employees and the use of Spanish language will be interspersed with the English language to establish a unique connection. The business cards will also be provided to CMS's senior leadership to hand out to prospective employees. CMS also granted approval for 20 full-time equivalents (FTEs) for managers that hire individuals from severely underrepresented groups. These FTEs do not count against the hiring component's FTE ceiling for one year. The HHS Food and Drug Administration continues their Counter Terrorism Initiative to protect the nation's food supply, increase their presence along the border to conduct field exams and sample collection and analysis, and to increase domestic inspections and laboratory analysis. The Agency's Office of Regulatory Affairs, the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, and the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research were given approximately 800 new positions to hire employees nationwide in mission-oriented occupations (chemist, consumer safety office, microbiologist and criminal investigator) at the GS-5 to GS-9 levels. The Agency hired 680 new employees, including 378 women and minority group members. The Department of Justice's (Justice) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in FY 2002 spent approximately $1.4 million towards national advertisements. These ads were placed in over 50 national, regional, and local minority and mainstream publications. As a result, the FBI hired 586 support employees for field offices and FBI headquarters positions. Of the 586 support employees hired, 27 percent were minority group members and 55 percent were women. As of September 2002, the FBI's support employee profile consists of 30 percent minority group members and 44 percent white women. In FY 2002, the FBI hired 916 Special Agents. The number included 27 Blacks (five women, 22 men); 30 Asian Americans (five women, 25 men); 57 Hispanics (11 women, 46 men); and five Native Americans (three women, two men). A total of 119 minority group members were hired during FY 2002. The Marshals Service has an Operation Shining Star (OSS) recruiting initiative designed to reach a qualified and motivated pool of applicants with prior military service. This resulted in the appointment of 136 Deputy U.S. Marshals, including 35 minority group members and seven women, five Blacks, 19 Hispanics, four Asian-Americans, and one Native American. The Department of Labor (Labor) co-hosted the annual National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives (NAHFE) Summit which had the theme "Juntos Podemos-Together We Can." There were over 160 attendees who participated in a variety of workshops. The target audience was Hispanic Executives at the GS-15 and SES level. DOL also co-hosted with the Office of Personnel Management the first annual Asian Pacific American Federal Career Advancement Summit. The purpose of the Summit was to discuss methods of identifying and increasing the number of qualified Asian Pacific Americans for leadership and management positions in the Federal Government. The Summit was attended by over 250 Federal employees from a diverse group of Federal agencies and geographic locations. The Department of State's (State) external recruitment activities included diversity recruitment activities by Diplomats in Residence at universities with a significant minority enrollment. Marketing efforts at the Department's Offices and Bureaus included advertisements in publications with a diverse readership, advertisements on minority-focused web sites, and notices in institutional newsletters. Internal recruitment activities included the use of student employment programs, involvement of current employees in leadership programs, and use of the Welfare-to-Work Hiring Initiative. The Department of the Treasury's (Treasury) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) reports that while minority group members make up ten percent of all serving SES individuals in ATF, minority group candidates make up almost 30 percent of all participants in the SES Candidate Program. Treasury's Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) hired a National Recruitment Coordinator to assist the bureau in maximizing its efforts to recruit a more diverse workforce. OCC also drafted a National Recruitment Strategic Plan to guide the bureau in its recruitment efforts. Treasury's Internal Revenue Service (IRS), in addition to its career web site, posted specific vacancy announcements with high profile web sites that reach a large, diverse population. Some of these sites included IMDiversity.com, CareerBuilder.com, CollegeRecruiter.com, Monster.com, IBig5.com, and AwesomeAccounts.com. IRS also continued to purchase banner impressions from a variety of sites, including Hispanic Online, the USA Latino Network, and Ihispanio.com. The banner impressions provide a quick link to the IRS career web site. In addition to the internet, IRS used several other strategies to find and attract employees to meet its operational needs. The ten IRS campuses continued to offer offsite testing in targeted communities, using the IRS-Mock Testing Program, to enable minority group applicants to practice taking tests. The Finders Fee Program, which rewards current employees for recruiting new hires, continued to be a viable recruitment tool. This program was responsible for approximately one-half of the new clerical hires during FY 2002. The IRS Customs Service used professional advertising materials to support its FY 2002 recruitment efforts at a cost of more than $200,000. In conjunction with its FY 2002 on-line efforts, the Customs Service established a system known as CareerFinder. CareerFinder allows interested applicants to view a vacancy announcement or public notice on-line through either the Customs Service or OPM USAJOBS web sites. CareerFinder also allows applicants to apply for jobs using the internet by answering a series of job-related questions; then the system is used to rate and rank the applicants. The IRS Customs Service administered the Treasury Enforcement Agency Examination at the 2nd Annual Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Exposition. Similar to FY 2001, the Department hired over 25,000 employees (permanent, temporary, and seasonal) during FY 2002 using a wide range of appointing authorities. Four appointing authorities, however, accounted for 19,467 employees or 77 percent of the FY 2002 hires. The majority of these hires, 15,026, were appointed under the OPM delegated competitive examining authority. "Schedule A, Temporary Not Full-time Critical Hiring Need" accounted for 1,822 hires while "selections from civil service certificate of eligibles" accounted for 1,574 hires. "Agency-unique Schedule B Authority" rounded out the top four appointing authorities with1,045 hires. Women accounted for 12,168 of the hires (62.5 percent) under these four appointing authorities; minority group members accounted for 8,278 hires (42.5 percent). Treasury's Internal Revenue Service employed 848 students under the High School Temporary Employment-High School Diploma Program. Women accounted for 494 (58.2 percent) and minority group members made up 277 (32.7 percent) of the 848 hires. An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) region required each Special Emphasis Program (SEP) to adopt a school under the Schools in Partners Program. Each SEP seeks out a school where the student population is at least 35 percent representative of the specific constituency. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was subject to a hiring freeze during FY 2002. Of the 39 critical positions that the Commission filled during the year, 61 percent were filled by women and 51 percent by minority group members. The Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) continued proactive approaches at Hispanic recruitment and gained three Hispanic employees in its workforce between the end of FY 2001 and FY 2002. Over 20 schools on the West coast were included in recruitment efforts to reach students, faculty, and the Hispanic community. An expanded Tuition Assistance Program was used to provide assistance to 39 employees, 8 percent of whom were Hispanic. The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) capitalized on its partnership agreements to hire seven interns through the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) and five interns through INROADS, a non-profit organization that trains and develops talented young people of color for professional careers in business and industry. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) indicates that its recruiting efforts during FY 2002 focused on several basic strategies. The Commission made use of the FCC Engineer-in-Training program at colleges and universities that have a significant population of minority group members and women. The FCC also made use of special appointing authorities such as those related to students, veterans, and the agency's upward mobility programs. The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) recruiters visited a range of campuses that enroll a high percentage of minority group students and also produce highly qualified graduates. As a result, of the 61 attorneys and economists hired in FY 2002, 29 were women, five were Asian/Pacific Islander, four were Black and one was Hispanic. The FTC also used the Student Temporary Employment Program to bring minority students into the agency throughout the school year. Of the 70 students employed through STEP, 41 were women, 24 were Black, 6 were Asian/Pacific Islander and two were Hispanic. FTC outreach activities included continued participation in the Partnership in Education (PIE) program. The partner schools during this fiscal year were Calvin Coolidge and Ballou High Schools. The FTC also hosted and provided instructors for the "Introduction to Legal Reasoning" course for minority law students entering the Washington, D.C. law schools. The General Service Administration (GSA) reports that it has introduced several new outreach initiatives during FY 2002. One initiative was accomplished in tandem with GSA's transition to a web-based vacancy application process. An automated feature of the new system allows the agency to automatically issue notices of vacancies to minority organizations, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Hispanic colleges and universities. The vacancy announcements include a link to GSA's job application website. Recruiting initiatives pursued in GSA regional offices included advertising vacancies nationwide for positions in geographic areas that lacked a diverse population, making use of special hiring authorities such as the Training Agreement for Career Interchange, reengineering positions downward and filling them at multiple grade levels when possible, providing special attention and support to improve the retention of Welfare-to-Work employees, converting Worker-Trainees to career Federal employees, making use of the OPM Certification and GSA Recruitment programs, and sending representatives to university career fairs. Even though the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (Board) has only 106 employees, including seven students, the Board employs 52 minority group individuals, 26 of whom are in professional positions, and 72 women, 45 of whom are in professional positions. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provided employees serving in administrative support positions with a Core Training Program (CTP). The aim of the program is to provide training and skills that will help employees become occupationally well-rounded and better prepared to explore new opportunities for professional growth and development. Of the 29 employees at grades GS-5 through GS-12 enrolled in the CTP, 28 were women and 26 were Black. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is implementing its National Recruitment Initiative (NRI) by focusing on candidates, leveraging partnerships and alliances, and tailoring recruitment opportunities. For example, NRI funded a subscription service which allows candidates to sign up for automatic notification of vacancies for which they are interested. Also as part of NRI, their recruitment web site now showcases internet recruitment sources that cater to a diverse community. In addition, the NRI has contracted with internet recruitment sources to publicize NASA as an employer of choice to members of the diverse communities and to ensure that diverse candidates are aware of NASA job opportunities. NASA is developing a recruitment DVD for their on-site recruitment efforts with diverse communities. NASA has developed a CD- Rom recruitment card that links applicants directly to many NASA web sites-including a site that lists NASA jobs. The NASA Undergraduate Student Research Program (USRP), developed in FY 2001, now has 130 student participants. These were 67 women, including 29 minority group members and 17 Hispanic students. NASA identified scientific professional associations and established internet links to these associations' and universities' web sites through its NASAJobs website. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) developed a list of student internship opportunities to serve as a recruiting tool to introduce students to potential long-term employment at NARA. This list was distributed at several career fairs and as a result NARA received 104 applications. The , during FY 2002, filled a GS-14 position with one Black man; and two Black women filled positions at the GS-6 and GS-7 levels. Additionally, 10 of the 11 interns selected by the Arts Endowment were women. In the National Science Foundation (NSF) minority group populations made up 19 percent of appointments to scientific and engineering positions at the GS-13 through GS-15 (and equivalent) levels. Women represented 53 percent of appointments to scientific and engineering positions at GS-13 through GS-15 (and equivalent) levels. In addition to its appointed Federal staff, NSF supplements its workforce by bringing in staff from universities, State and local governments, and Indian reservations to serve in assignments of up to four years through the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Mobility Program. In FY 2002, those serving on IPA assignments to NSF included 49 women, two Native Americans, four Hispanics, 13 Blacks and 24 Asian/Pacific Islanders. In FY 2002, NSF again participated in "Groundhog Job Shadowing Day", sponsored by the CIO Council's Information Technology (IT) Workforce Committee. This program pairs highly-motivated high school students with IT professionals (as mentors) to encourage continued interest in the IT profession with a focus on Federal IT employment. All of the student participants are minority group members. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has as one of its strategic goals the establishment of OPM as a leader in creating and maintaining a sound, diverse, and cooperative work environment. OPM is implementing a strategy to recruit increased numbers of minorities into the Presidential Management Intern Program; increasing our emphasis on regional job fairs to bring them closer and make them more available to diverse audiences. OPM has developed a proposed OPM policy for the establishment of an agency-wide Federal Career Intern Program, which is designed to help attract and recruit exceptional individuals into a variety of occupations and to prepare them for careers that support OPM's mission of public service. OPM has increased the use of its exit survey to solicit information from separating OPM employees. This tool provides feedback to its supervisors and managers about why employees leave OPM. It is important in helping to improve the agency's overall work environment and enables OPM to do a better job recruiting and retaining a diverse population. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has a comprehensive recruitment effort that involves advertising and establishing relationships with State employment offices, secondary education placement centers and vocational rehabilitation offices, designated regional recruitment hubs and multi-disciplinary teams with hiring authority who participate in job fairs and career days. SSA reports that the special initiatives used to increase workforce diversity include the Presidential Management Intern Program, White House Initiatives for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Tribal Colleges and Universities, the Student Temporary Employment Program, and the Student Career Employment Program. In addition, SSA has made extensive use of the Outstanding Scholar Program and the bilingual hiring authority. All executive staff members receive monthly reports on the status of SSA's nationwide hiring efforts. SSA has been successful in recruiting more Hispanics and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders during FY 2002. The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) mailed copies of a video targeted toward graduate students interested in the PMI Program to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI). Managers and personnel specialists participated in job and career fairs at a number of institutions, some with large, diverse populations. Faculty, staff and students at these schools were also briefed about the PMI Program and top graduate-level students were encouraged to apply for the program. The USUHS also has involved minority group employees in its Administrative Support Assistance Program. Mentoring The Department of Agriculture (Agriculture) expanded its FY 2001 mentoring program for employees with disabilities into a nationwide program for all employees. A diverse class of more than 60 USDA employees participated in the first mentoring class. Mentors and mentees will work together for an entire year with a key goal to improve the opportunities of mentees to move into hard to fill positions and positions with skill gaps. The Broadcasting Board of Governors' (BBG) Office of Civil Rights sponsored the Agency's annual Mentoring Program. In the eight-month facilitative program, mentees attended career development training, participated in job shadowing, received one-on one and collective career counseling, and in several instances, took college-level courses. The racial and gender breakdown of minority participants was as follows: 14.2 percent Black men, 57.1 percent Black women, 7.1 percent Hispanic men, and 21.4 percent Hispanic women. The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) mentoring program, started in 1995, is a key component in the Agency's commitment to career enhancement of employees. Once a year, there is an opportunity for employees to apply as mentees (chosen by lottery) and to volunteer as mentors. Mentees are matched with mentors and are supported through a year of meetings and training. Currently, there are 33 women and three men mentees, of which 28 are Black. The Department of Labor's (Labor) Education and Training Administration implemented two mentoring programs. Participants in the Employee Mentoring Program included four Blacks, one Hispanic and eight women. Participants in the Management Mentoring Program included three Blacks, one Hispanic, and three women. The Farm Credit Administration's (FCA) Career Intern Program employees were all provided with a summer mentor. The mentors attended one-day training sessions and were assigned collateral-duty performance standards along with their mentoring responsibilities. All employees, including minority group members and women, were given the opportunity to participate in the FCA mentoring program as either a mentor or a protégé. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) continued its mentoring program in FY 2002. Twenty-seven mentees (17 minority group individuals and 16 women) completed various mentoring programs. The selection process is underway for a new group of mentors composed of team leaders and supervisors. The Small Business Administration's (SBA) Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) director, a Hispanic woman, serves as the Senior Policy Advisor to the National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives (NAHFE). In this role, she networks with Hispanic special interests groups on issues and policies that affect Hispanic recruitment and employment. She serves as a committee member of NAHFE's Project Eagle, which supports the recruitment and development of qualified Hispanics into leadership positions in the Federal Government. Career Development Opportunities The Department of Energy's (Energy) Nevada Operations Office continued a Succession Planning Program to allow employees in GS-14 and non-supervisory GS-15 positions to develop their potential to qualify for managerial positions. Of the 60 participants in the program, five percent were Black women, three percent were Black men, two percent were Asian/Pacific Island women, two percent were Asian/Pacific Island men, two percent were Hispanic women, and five percent were Hispanic men. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) offers a six-month Aspiring Leader program, under the direction of the USDA Graduate School, designed for Federal employees at the GS-5 through GS-7 level who are seeking preparation as team leaders, supervisors, and managers. The program provides a foundation in team leadership skills and develops self-directed staff members. Out of 14 participants this year, 11 were Black women and two were Black men. The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Centers for Disease Control/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has a long-term career development training program (more than 120 consecutive days) offered through non-Government institutions to selected employees at grades GS-11 and above. Currently, there are 18 employees in the program, including 11 women and two who are Black. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sponsored 201 women and 186 minority group members (GS-1 to GS-15) in formal Governmentwide career development programs. HUD sent 106 women and 120 minority group members (GS-1 through GS-15) to formal agency career development programs. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to have the EPA Intern Program (EIP) that was established in 1997 under the Agency's Workforce Development Strategy. This Intern Program is a comprehensive entry-level employment and career development program to recruit high-potential employees to become the next generation of EPA leaders. The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) developed an EEO standard to be implemented in all employee performance plans during FY 2002. The standard measures the employee's support of agency policies related to EEO, diversity, and affirmative action. In addition, employees are evaluated based upon the degree to which they exhibit fairness in everyday interactions at work. Finally, the standard examines the employees' involvement in special emphasis programs and related activities that can assist the agency in realizing its diversity goals. The Department of Labor (Labor) implemented a new SES Candidate Development Program, including these participants: 2 Hispanics, 2 Blacks, 1 Asian American/Pacific Islander, and 18 women. These candidates will be provided a series of intensive developmental assignments, including formal courses and seminars, and two 60-90 day details within and /or outside of the Department. DOL expanded the pilot Management Development Program within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management to a Department-wide program for FY 2003. The Department will fill approximately 45 management development vacancies. DOL co-sponsored and hosted the annual NAHFE Summit at DOL. The target audience was Hispanic executives at the GS-15 and SES level and its purpose was to plan strategies to increase the representation of Hispanics at the SES level. The Department of the Treasury's (Treasury) Internal Revenue Service has many locations with Professional Development Centers staffed with career counselors for employees to complete self-development courses including a Skillsoft package of 260 self-development courses. Several offices provide onsite college courses through agreements with local universities. Treasury's Customs Service has established an infrastructure for a nationwide distance learning program, which serves as a critical delivery mechanism to reach a widely dispersed, highly divergent workforce. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reported on the VA's career development efforts for FY 2002. Fifty-eight percent of the 1,120 employees enrolled in formal governmentwide career development programs were women; 22 percent were Black; seven percent were Hispanics; three percent were Asian/Pacific Islanders; and one percent were Native Americans. Fifty-six percent of the 11,566 employees enrolled in formal agency career development programs were women; 21 percent were Black; seven percent were Hispanics; two percent were Asian/Pacific Islanders; and three percent were Native Americans. The National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA) Strategic Plan calls for 100 percent of permanent employees to have Individual Development Plans by the end of FY2003. During FY 2002 NARA created a Career Development Program for Archives Technicians. Employees in the archives technician series make up the largest group of NARA employees who need career enhancement opportunities. The program will consist of a combination of training classes and activities related to the use of computers, communication, cross-training and shadowing assignments. The combination of training classroom and real-life assignments will help the technicians understand the full range of archives activities and provide them with relevant experience. The program will be individualized and custom designed within program parameters to complement the overall individual development plan initiative at NARA. NARA established a Career Development Resource Center (CDRC) using both onsite and online formats. The CDRC provides all NARA staff with central access to current information on Federal employment and upward mobility topics, as well as resources for broadening archival and managerial skills. The center enables staff to be proactive in developing their careers and to find practical information and models for completing job applications. NARA's onsite CDRC provides print and tape materials from the library's holdings that address a wide variety of career/skills development topics, policies and procedures for applying for Federal employment, guides to writing a resume and KSAs, and model examples of completed applications. NARA's online CDRC can be accessed from NARA's homepage. It includes employment and internship opportunities, library resources relating to career/skills development for managers and staff, web resources for Government employment, tips for earning promotions in Government positions and research tools for job searches. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) offers their employees two types of Career Development Activities: Independent Study, Research, and Development Program (ISRD) and the Educational Opportunities for Career Development Program (EOCD). The ISRD Program allows NEH employees to maintain professional competence and active scholarly lives. The EOCD Program provides for employees to compete for agency-paid, mission-related college level coursework. The National Science Foundation (NSF) established the NSF Academy, which will develop a broad array of learning opportunities that will enable staff to perform critical functions of supporting NSF's vision, statutory mission, and goals. The Academy will partner with academic institutions, other Government agencies, and external learning organizations to establish a competency-based curriculum providing continuous learning and career enhancement for staff at all levels. During FY 2002, the NSF Academy premiered "The Career Planning Showcase" which offered seven modules for employees covering many areas of career development. Some of the components included: how to apply for a Federal job, managing your career, and interviewing. NSF purchased FasTrac eLearning accounts that provide access to web-based e-learning courseware and a learning management system. Included with each account are over 1,600 courses (800 are business and professional classes and over 800 are information technology classes). Once enrolled, employees may take an unlimited number of on-line courses. eLearning provides employees easy access to training which can enhance performance and provide the tools needed for advancement. The NSF After Hours program provides financial assistance to a limited number of competitively selected employees who wish to continue their education to advance their careers. In FY 2002 there are 62 employees enrolled in the program, of which 89 percent were Black women. External training and development programs (e.g., Federal Executive Institute Program, LEGIS Program, Management Development Centers, USDA Graduate School New Leader Program, and USDA Aspiring Leader Program) were used as a means of preparing NSF employees for higher-level jobs. In FY 2002, 29 percent of the participants belonged to minority groups and 68 percent were women. During FY 2002, 100 percent of NSF promotions in scientific and engineering positions at the GS-13 through GS-15 (and equivalent) levels involved women. Over 60 percent of all employees promoted in FY 2002 were Black. |
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