OPM progresses on cybersecurity workforce

The results of a recently completed governmentwide cybersecurity survey will be used to identify the skills necessary for a cybersecurity professional and establish a plan for successful recruitment, performance and development in federal cybersecurity positions, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

OPM launched the survey in September 2010 to approximately 50,000 federal employees and their supervisors who handle cybersecurity as part of their daily responsibilities.

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The survey is part of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, a government-led awareness, education and training initiative to create a “cyber-savvy citizenry and workforce for the 21st century,” OPM said Feb. 16.

OPM is leading the federal workforce track of the program.

“Cybersecurity is essential to protecting the American people,” OPM Director John Berry said. “The federal government must create a comprehensive model to recruit and retain the corps of highly skilled cybersecurity experts necessary to support our national security.”

The results of the survey identified critical competencies for IT management, electronics engineering, computer engineering and telecommunications occupations. OPM said “important competencies across occupations include integrity, computer skills, technical competence, teamwork and attention to detail.”

The same day that OPM announced it had completed the cybersecurity survey, Berry sent a memorandum to chief human capital officers that included a competency model for cybersecurity professionals.

“The competencies identified may be used in such agency efforts as workforce planning, training and development, performance management, recruitment and selection,” Berry wrote. “When used for selection, the competencies must be used in conjunction with the appropriate qualification standard.”