Workcred Events

Building a 21st Century Federal Workforce through Dynamic Competency-Based Credentialing

Federal Training Session hosted by Workcred

October 11, 2016
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

20 F Street NW Conference Center
20 F Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20001

Event Proceedings

9:00 am – 9:05 am	Opening Remarks Cynthia Woodley, Chair, Workcred Government Credentialing Network
9:05 am – 9:35 am	Federal Perspective on Credentialing Clifton Triplett, Senior Cyber and Information Technology Advisor, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) View presentation Mr. Triplett discussed the importance of credentialing within the federal government, highlighting federal efforts in the cybersecurity arena.
9:35 am – 10:05 am	Industry Trends: Where is Credentialing Headed? Eric Seleznow, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Mr. Seleznow highlighted new and upcoming trends in the civilian credentialing community that relate to federal initiatives.
10:05 am – 10:45 am	Creating the Credential Registry: Moving to Scale – a Future Resource for the Government Roy Swift, Executive Director, Workcred Bob Sheets, Research Professor, George Washington University Institute of Public Policy View presentation This session educated government employees about the forthcoming Credential Registry – a groundbreaking technology effort aimed at transforming the credentialing ecosystem and the way people use it. The presentation focused on how the government can leverage the registry as an important resource.
10:45 am – 11:00 am	Break
11:00 am – 12:45 pm	Panel: Success in Creating Credentialing Programs: Best Practices and Lessons Learned Moderator: Cynthia Woodley Panelists: Josh Olsen, Lead Policy Advisor, Technical Operations, Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) View presentation The Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program is the nation’s oldest and largest energy retrofit program. With technicians working in over 800 individual organizations and producing more than 100,000 retrofits per year, a consistent and industry-recognized benchmark for workforce training and credentialing is vital for success. In 2010, the DOE created the Home Energy Professional certifications to fill an unmet need for professional credentialing in this industry. This presentation focused on the lessons learned and ongoing revisions to this process from both a technical and policy-making perspective. Michael Scott, Chief, Professionalization Division, Center for Development of Security Excellence, Defense Security Service (DSS) View presentation The Security Professional Education Development (SPēD) Certification Program is part of the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) initiative to professionalize the security workforce. This initiative serves to ensure there exists a common set of competencies among security practitioners that promotes interoperability, facilitates professional development and training, and develops a workforce of certified security professionals. Rodney Petersen, Director, National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) View presentation The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce, builds upon existing successful programs, facilities change and innovation, and brings leadership and vision to increase the number of skilled cybersecurity professionals helping to keep our nation secure. Historically, the most valued credentials have included academic degrees, industry-recognized certifications, and experience; however, cybersecurity is a new and evolving field in need of greater standardization and more specialized competencies. This presentation discussed the NICE Workforce Framework, which helps both employers and educational providers by providing a standardized approach for the development of the cybersecurity workforce with a focus on seven broad categories of work, 31 specialty areas, and a corresponding set of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Elizabeth Ziolkowski, Manager, Laboratory Operations & Quality Assurance, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Forensic Laboratory Services View presentation There are an estimated 14,000 forensic practitioners performing analyses and providing expert testimony in court in the United States. Forensic practitioners and the laboratories in which they work have long recognized the desirability of credentialing. There are now over twenty organizations offering certifications in some forty different forensic specialties, but there remain at least twelve recognized forensic specialties for which there are no appropriate certifications. Some forensic specialties have fewer than fifty practitioners in the entire country. This presentation focused on lessons learned and the political, financial, and scientific considerations when providing credentials for forensic analysts.
12:45 pm – 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm	Interactive Roundtable Discussions Interactive roundtable discussions allowed attendees to explore key credentialing issues.
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm	Breakout Session Report Outs Breakout session facilitators distilled and shared insights and common themes from each session.
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm	Closing Remarks On the Horizon for the U.S. Credentialing System Sharon Boivin, Chair, Interagency Working Group on Expanded Measures of Enrollment and Attainment (GEMEnA), National Center for Education Statistics View presentation Dr. Boivin highlighted new federal statistics from the Current Population Survey on the prevalence of certifications in the U.S. adult population. She also discussed how upcoming new data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and National Science Foundation (NSF) will help illuminate who gets certifications, how adults prepare for certifications, and how they perceive the benefits of certification.