The federal government is facing a massive tech talent shortage, particularly as the development and use of AI continues to gain traction. The need for AI talent is so great that, for years, federal agencies and politicians have been advancing policies to address the deficit. The Biden administration launched a program in 2023 to recruit job candidates with AI skills for open federal agency positions in support of an executive order to promote the safe development of AI. Vice President Kamala Harris also recently announced that, if elected president, she would remove unnecessary degree requirements to increase federal job hiring of people who don’t have a four-year degree.
Despite efforts to recruit AI-skilled workers, 91% of federal IT leaders say their agency is currently using or testing AI but 72% say their workforce lacks the skills to use it effectively. From a lack of real-life applications to security concerns, federal agencies continue to grapple with technical skills development challenges. Agencies know they need to implement customized programs to support AI readiness across departments, but don’t know how to go about it.
To address this challenge, agencies should begin by conducting a comprehensive skills inventory to identify specific gaps in their workforce. This can be followed by developing tailored upskilling programs that align with both the agency’s mission and evolving AI technologies. Partnering with industry experts can also provide access to best practices, resources and expertise.
As skills-based hiring for federal jobs increases and the emphasis on hiring college-educated candidates decreases, an interesting question emerges: Is tech training at the college and university level even equipped to keep pace with tech advancement in the “real world?” Higher education is not known for being agile in the face of change, so emerging topics like AI and cybersecurity may take a year or two to go from ideation to inclusion in the curriculum. After that, years may pass before a student has taken the courses and eventually graduated. This means the technical training they received is outdated or obsolete when the student enters the workforce.
So with a limited pipeline of tech talent coming out of traditional higher ed backgrounds, and with constant competition from the private sector for top talent, federal agencies must look within for the talent they seek by implementing workforce development programs that focus on upskilling employees in new and emerging technologies like AI.
Implementing internal upskilling programs bridges the skills gap and also boosts employee morale and retention. Agencies should establish a culture of learning, continuous learning platforms, offer incentives for skill development, and create clear career progression pathways for employees who acquire new competencies.
Driving engagement and retaining talent
As federal agencies build out their technology workforce to enhance operations and achieve their missions, it’s important to keep employees engaged. Attrition due to disengagement is a critical issue in government agencies, and if an employee wants to enhance their AI proficiency but lacks the opportunity to do so, they may seek a new role in the private sector.
To drive engagement and retain talent, agencies can benefit by taking a holistic approach to workforce development. This includes addressing the most critical challenges, leveraging best practices to realign the workforce, and building a culture of continuous learning. Agencies that reimagine how they engage in technology will, in turn, motivate their teams to engage more effectively in their roles.
One engagement driver is implementing mentorship programs where experienced professionals guide less experienced employees. Additionally, agencies can host hackathons or innovation labs to encourage creative problem-solving and application of new skills in real-world scenarios.
Agencies can better understand their teams’ tech acumen by benchmarking the current technology skill set of their workforces. As an agency adopts new technologies into its processes, benchmarking allows them to ensure that upskilling journeys are progressing. Workforce development programs in the public sector can be leveraged to keep teams skilled across a range of emerging technologies and to help prevent employees from making suboptimal decisions.
In the public sector, hiring managers should also be on the lookout for individuals who possess a wide range of problem-solving skills versus those whose talents are more specialized. I like to use an analogy of an astronaut to make this point. Astronauts, by nature, have broad skill sets that allow them to perform a multitude of tasks depending on what the situation calls for. Their survival depends on problem solving with many methods. This is also what hiring managers should be looking for in tech talent. These ‘workforce astronauts’ have the ability to think on their feet and react instinctively and effectively when presented with new challenges, taking on issues outside of their specific experience and making decisions based on the problem at hand without the limitations of specialization.
To identify these ‘workforce astronauts,’ hiring managers should prioritize versatility in job descriptions by emphasizing adaptability and cross-functional skills. They should implement assessment methods that evaluate problem-solving abilities across diverse scenarios. Looking for candidates with a track record of continuous learning and varied experiences is crucial, as is encouraging applications from individuals with interdisciplinary backgrounds who can bring fresh perspectives to complex problems. By adopting these strategies, agencies can build teams capable of navigating the rapidly changing technological landscape.
Providing employees with opportunities for advancement
Given the breakneck speed at which AI technology continues to evolve, agencies need to ensure that their AI training programs are continually updated. Cloud enablement is still at the forefront as the public sector is engaged in the early stage of cloud transformation. Agencies that offer learning opportunities in AI, cloud and other technologies are sending a clear message to their employees that their job growth and career progression is valued. High turnover and the costs to recruit and train new hires can be minimized by engaging and retaining employees through upskilling.
With the backing of the last two presidential administrations, the push to create a more technically skilled federal workforce has shown results. The Biden administration recently announced that its AI “talent surge” has driven over 200 new hires which is nearly halfway to the goal of placing 500 AI experts in the federal government by 2025. According to the administration’s announcement, an AI cohort of the General Services Administration’s Presidential Innovation Fellows program, and the Department of Homeland Security’s AI Corps contributed to the governmentwide hiring.
As federal agencies continue to build up their technology workforces, it will be critical to keep these employees engaged by providing them with opportunities for advancement. This is why a continuous culture of learning must be a holistic, agency-wide effort. This includes developing the most up-to-date skills possible, integrating personalized training programs, rewarding individual milestones, and promoting upskilling as a core organizational value.
Federal agencies must take proactive steps to cultivate and retain talent. By implementing targeted upskilling programs, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and recruiting versatile problem solvers, agencies have a significantly increased likelihood of meeting their current technological needs and preparing for future challenges. The time to act is now; investing in the workforce today will yield significant returns in efficiency, innovation and mission success tomorrow.
Tony Holmes is practice lead for solutions architects at Pluralsight.
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