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Facilitating Technical Certification for VA’s Office of Information and Technology
Human Capital Management

Facilitating Technical Certification for VA’s Office of Information and Technology

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information and Technology (OI&T)

Our Challenge

The IT Workforce Development Office (ITWD) of OI&T is responsible for providing career development learning activities to VA’s OI&T workforce. OI&T employees perform critical tasks and solve complex problems in an environment often characterized by a fast pace, uncertainty, and competing priorities. A vital element in an IT specialist’s career development is the completion of industry-recognized professional certifications. DFC was asked by OI&T to identify industry-recognized certifications that would benefit the IT staff at VA, as well as to provide communication support to the geographically dispersed workforce. Working with ITWD, we then facilitated virtual, instructor-led training for the OI&T staff.

Our Strategy

DFC contributed to the ITWD effort in a variety of ways. This effort involved an analysis of certification training gaps; selection of commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) training providers; navigating the logistics of instructor-led training with vendors; coordinating course logistics with participants; and evaluating the success of the program by sending out multiple surveys.

Our Results

As part of this work, DFC:

  • Coordinated the execution of 72 certification courses over the life of the contract,
  • Managed eight COTS vendors to arrange course requirements and logistics,
  • Created 40 IT certification course fact sheets to market the courses to VA employees,
  • Assisted 790 VA employees in selecting and attending IT certification courses, and
  • Analyzed 712 Kirkpatrick Level One and Three surveys (398 Level One and 314 Level Three) to determine the effectiveness of courses offered by the program.

As a result of our efforts, we assisted VA’s IT workforce in expanding their technical knowledge and improving their ability to solve problems for the VA workforce, leading to a more secure and efficient workplace.