The Defense Spectrum Office developed the Spectrum Professional Development Program (SPDP) to help automate training requirements and tracking for E3 and spectrum related professional development. Fully implemented the SPDP is a self-assessment tool that allows an employee to browse training requirements based on the agency’s mission and tasks, and self-assess on their knowledge and experience in all applicable technical areas. Where the employee feels that he or she may be deficient, they will be shown resources where additional knowledge may be acquired. This system is not intended for military spectrum managers; it is geared toward DoD acquisition and combat support personnel. Training requirements are not decided randomly, they are derived from agency mission essential tasks lists (METLs).
As implemented in DISA’s Defense Talent Management System (DTMS) Career Management Information System (CMIS), the entry point for an employee is dependent upon the particular series or role that the employee has, their specific position requirements and their experience or seniority level (Entry for GS-1 through GS-8, Intermediate for GS-9 through GS-13, and Senior for GS-14 and 15). Roles include Leadership Skills, Professional Skills, and Technical / Engineering Skills; the SPDP is geared to the competencies of each group. Most of the roles in the Defense Spectrum Organization (DSO) part of the SPDP are Technical and Engineering.
These competencies are subdivided into eight DISA METL categories: 5.1 – Strategic Planning & Policy Recommendations; 5.2 – Spectrum Access Analysis & Evaluation; 5.3 – Spectrum Supportability Planning & Policy Development; 5.4 – Emerging Spectrum Technology Evaluation; 5.5 – Operational Spectrum Management & Frequency Deconfliction Support; 5.6 – Operational Joint Spectrum Management System; 5.7 – Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) & Spectrum Engineering Support; and 5.8 – DoD space systems filings. Within each category, there are particular competencies which are required to become proficient in that role. These sub-categories are arranged into particular level requirements: Entry, Intermediate, and Senior.
As the employee browses through the competencies needed for his or her job, they will rate themselves on their knowledge level of 0 for None/Not Evident, 1 for Basic, 2 for Intermediate, 3 for Advanced, and 4 for Expert. When knowledge deficiencies are found, the employee is given suggested resources to provide the needed training. This training may be in the form of an online course, classroom training at a vendor’s location, reading an instruction, manual, or book, participating in a seminar or workshop, or possibly a TDY rotation with another department or agency, to name a few.
From this information, the employee then meets with his or her supervisor to develop a formalized training plan. As the employee advances, he or she can re-evaluate their competency status and update their plan.
