OPM Creates Strategies to Retain Cyber Security Federal Employees

July 22, 2016

As OPM and other federal agencies are facing some problems in hiring and retaining federal employees who are experts in cyber security, OPM has created the Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Strategy to deal with the problem. The strategy aims to increase the number of cyber security personnel, not only at the government, but also at overall U.S. workforce.

The Aim of Strategy to Hire Cyber Security Federal employees

OPM Director, Beth Cobert recently announced that the strategy was created to ensure that more federal cyber experts are hired and retained as they can strengthen the security of federal systems, networks, and assets. She also added that cyber security is a shared responsibility of the leadership, employees, private industry, contractors as well as the American people.

OPM has outlined four core strategies to increase the cyber workforce at all levels. The strategies are mentioned below.

Education and Training

The first strategy includes offering a CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program and communicating with the universities regarding their resource and teaching needs. This strategy also proposed funds of $62 million to enhance cyber security education.

Better Hiring

OPM is also focused on hiring the best talent by streamlining the existing hiring processes, focusing on diversity outreach and searching for opportunities to build a cyber security team as a part of the Presidential Management Fellows program.

Retaining the Employees

OPM aims to enhance the retention of cyber talent by creating transparent career paths and developing a government-wide cyber orientation program that promotes sharing of information.

Seeking the Workforce Needs

The cyber security workforce needs of every agency would be identified by making use of the National Cybersecurity Workforce Framework that points out identifies 31 discrete specialty areas within cyber security workforce. The framework was created by National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) partner agencies.

The Success Factors

Cobert also stated that these changes would be implemented over time and the long-term success of these strategies would depend on attention, resources, and innovation from all levels of government. She also added that the initiatives mentioned in the strategy would play a key role in establishing, growing and strengthening a pipeline of cyber security into the future. It is being hoped that this time OPM would succeed in hiring and retaining the best federal employees who specialize in cyber security and have the caliber to protect government from advanced cyber attacks.