"Investing in Human Capital - an Organizational Priority"
The success of the IT function at the Department of State depends on having information technology workers with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to meet the IT business requirements of the Department.

The Challenge

Given the competitiveness of the information technology profession and the dearth of qualified employees in the U.S. workforce, the Department of State needs to ensure that it has a sufficient number of employees who possess critical information technology skills to support its mission.

A Bit of History ...

From about 1993 to 1997, the Department of State was under severe hiring constraints driven by FTE and budget and, as a result, experienced a 20% vacancy rate in its IT jobs. Then in 1998, having received authorization to fill all IT vacancies, but with its recruitment pipelines depleted, State found itself competing for the same critical and scarce resources that every other organization needed. State had a critical need for IT professionals to staff its 300 vacant IT positions worldwide, not only to maintain operations before they were adversely affected, but also to modernize its existing computer systems.

The Strategy

To address the IT workforce challenge, in 1999, the Department launched two major initiatives targeted at the recruitment and retention of information technology professionals. Upon the request of CIO Fernando Burbano and Director of Personnel Edward Gnehm, Under Secretary Bonnie Cohen authorized the payment of Recruitment Bonuses for new federal employees with critical IT skills and Retention Allowances for current employees with those same skills, or for doing Y2K work. The legal authorities to implement these strategies for the Civil Service are (1) the Federal Employees' Pay Comparability Act (FEPCA) of 1990, and (2) 5 CFR 575, Subparts A,B,C.

Implementation

Recruitment Bonuses

The Department accelerated its recruitment activities through two major department-sponsored IT Job Fairs in February and November of 1999, yielding over 1,500 applicants for a variety of positions in the computer specialist and telecommunications series. Bonuses from 10-25% were offered to successful job candidates, depending on the critical skills they possessed. With several hundred candidates in the pipeline, the Department is well on its way to filling all of its vacant information technology positions. Contact for Civil Service Recruitment: Herbert Casey, Chief, Human Resources Management Division, Bureau of Information Resource Management, e-mail CaseyHB@state.gov.

Retention Allowances

On October 1, 1999, the Department announced a new IT Professional Skills Pilot Program. This program is aimed at retaining employees with critical IT skills and increasing the expertise and stability of the IT workforce through financial recognition of formal education and certification in key technical areas. This is a two-year pilot program, to be reviewed at least annually. We expect that, by 2001, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will have completed its IT occupational Study, and the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) will have completed its compensation study and offered recommendations to the CIO Council and OPM on compensation for federal IT workers. The results of both these studies will have an impact on the continuation of this pilot program. During the first 60 days of the IT Professional Skills Pilot Program, 320 employees applied and 70% of this number were approved for retention allowances, for a total allowance award of $1.6 M per annum.

To support employees in acquiring professional skills for the Department's benefit, the School for Applied Information Technology (SAIT) of the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) has revamped its technical courses to closely support Microsoft, Cisco, and A-Plus exam requirements. Additionally, the Bureau of Information Resource Management (IRM) and SAIT have developed a new set of distance learning opportunities geared towards industry certification exams. These distance learning courses are available on the Department's Intranet, CD-ROM, the Internet , with 7x24 mentoring available on-line or via e-mail. Contact for the IT Professional Skills Pilot Program: Robert Coleman, Associate Dean of the School for Applied Technology, Foreign Service Institute, e-mail ColemanRE@state.gov.

IT Skills Targeted for Recruitment Bonuses and Retention Allowances

Civil Service

GS-332 Computer Operator
GS-334 Computer Specialist
GS-335 Computer Clerk and Assistant
GS-391 Telecommunications
GS-392 General Communications
GS-854 Computer Engineer
GS-855 Electronics Engineer
GS-856 Electronics Technician
GS- 1550 Computer Scientist

Summary of Recruitment Bonus Program
( for complete Bonus breakout, refer to Recruitment Bonus Charts - pp. 4-5)

· 10%-15%-20%-25% for Education and/or Certification
· ALSO:
Higher Steps through Superior Qualifications for Civil Service

Summary of Retention Allowance Program
(for complete Retention Allowance breakout, refer to Retention Allowance Chart - p.6)

· 5%-7%-10%-15% for Education and/or Certification
· Individual case-by-case basis
· IT Professional Skills Panel

Note: These programs have also been implemented for applicants and employees of the Department of State's Foreign Service (excepted service) in a parallel fashion. Since the majority of federal employees are in the Civil Service, we are providing information appropriate to this group. Information on the specific application of these programs to the Foreign Service is available upon request from GuzowskiDU@state.gov.

CIVIL SERVICE COMPUTER SPECIALIST

RECRUITMENT BONUS MATRIX

The following qualifies for a bonus of up to 25% of salary
BS/BA Degree plus Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)
· With a major in the field of Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Telecommunications, Data Processing
OR
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE)

The following qualifies for a bonus of up to 20% of salary
BS/BA Degree plus Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
· With a minor in the field of Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Telecommunications, Data Processing
OR
AAS Degree plus Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
· Equivalent in the field of Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Telecommunications, Data Processing
OR
Technical Certificate plus Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
· Certificate of completion from any accredited Technical School (military or commercial if in related fields)

The following qualifies for a bonus of up to 15% of salary
BS/BA Degree

OR
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer

The following qualifies for a bonus of up to 10% of salary
AAS Degree
· Equivalent in the field of Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Telecommunications, Data Processing
OR
Technical Certificate
· Certificate of completion from any accredited Technical School (military or commercial if in related fields)
OR
Microsoft Certified Professional Certification

CSITMTX.DOC - 2/23/1999

CIVIL SERVICE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

RECRUITMENT BONUS MATRIX

The following qualifies for a bonus of up to 25% of salary
BS/BA Degree Plus Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE)
· With a major in the field of Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Telecommunications, Data Processing, Electrical or Electronic Engineering
OR
Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)

The following qualifies for a bonus of up to 20% of salary
BS/BA Degree Plus Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert
· With a minor in the field of Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Telecommunications, Data Processing, Electrical or Electronic Engineering
OR
AAS Degree Plus Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert
· Equivalent in the field of Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Telecommunications, Data Processing, Electrical or Electronic Engineering
OR
Technical Certificate Plus Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert
· Certificate of completion from any accredited Technical School (military or commercial if in related fields)

The following qualifies for a bonus of up to 15% of salary
BS/BA Degree

OR
Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert

The following qualifies for a bonus of up to 10% of salary
AAS Degree
· Equivalent in the field of Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Telecommunications, Data Processing, Electrical or Electronic Engineering
OR
Technical Certificate
· Certificate of completion from any accredited Technical School (military or commercial if in related fields)
OR
Cisco Certified Network Professional

CSITMTX.DOC - 2/23/1999

IT Retention Incentives/Allowances
(effective October 1, 1999)

The following qualifies for five per cent

The following qualifies for seven per cent

The following qualifies for ten per cent

The following qualifies for fifteen per cent

Notes:
1. No individual can be eligible for a retention allowance until he/she has completed one year's continuous employment with the Department.
2. All related academic degrees will be certified for the duration of the pilot program (through September, 30, 2001). Should the IT Skills Program be extended beyond the pilot, renewal of the incentive/allowance for existing academic degrees is likely to be contingent on the employee's completion of additional academic credit hours.
3. Credentials not listed above may be considered for incentive/allowance pay, and IT employees are encouraged to submit such credentials for review; the decision of the IT Professional Skills Panel will be final. Copies of certificates, credentials and/or official academic transcripts will be required. For vendor certifications listed above, no third-party certifications are acceptable.
4. An individual's total aggregate salary cannot exceed that of Level 1 of the Executive Schedule.