In response to the evolving demands of the modern workforce and as part of a broader initiative to modernize workforce capabilities, the CFO Council is spearheading a crucial effort to develop comprehensive career planning tools. This initiative aims to empower federal employees with active lifelong learning opportunities, recognizing this as essential for sustained success in their careers. The cornerstone of this project is the creation of a Version 1.0 career planning and training solution, and this document serves to provide education providers and vendors with detailed insights into how they can partner in this groundbreaking initiative.
This effort is being strategically coordinated with the Executive Office of the President / Office of Management and Budget and in collaboration with other Executive Councils. The vision extends beyond the immediate scope, with the potential for successful models to be expanded to encompass wider segments of the 2.1 million-strong federal workforce.
Key Features of the FM Career and Training Map
The envisioned career planning tool is structured around two core features designed to provide federal financial management (FM) employees with accessible and impactful career development resources:
Detailed Career Mapping for Federal FM Employees
At the heart of the tool will be an intuitive and detailed career map specifically tailored for federal FM professionals. Hosted on CFO.gov, this map will serve as a central navigation point for career progression within the federal government’s financial management domain.
The career map will meticulously outline the essential knowledge, skills, and experiences required for federal FM employees across 54 distinct competency areas. These competencies will be further categorized within 3 General Schedule (GS) brackets – junior, mid, and senior-level – providing a granular view of career advancement. Employees will be able to leverage this dynamic career map to gain precise and timely guidance. It will enable them to identify the competency capabilities expected at their current level and the recommended competencies for career advancement, fostering proactive professional development.
Embedded Links to External Training Content
Enhancing the career map’s practicality and utility will be the integration of numerous embedded links directing users to trusted external training and education providers. This feature will seamlessly connect federal employees with relevant learning resources.
The career map will incorporate an estimated hundreds of links to specific external courses and diverse training content. These resources, offered by a select group of external training providers, will address specific employee career competency knowledge gaps at various stages of their career journey. The scope of sought-after content is broad and includes:
- Graduate and undergraduate level training content aligning with the 54 competency areas.
- Continuing education content relevant for Certified Public Accountants (or equivalent certifications).
- Specialized content addressing emerging knowledge and technology domains such as Data Science, Analytics, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), as well as general federal employee skills enhancement.
Crucially, federal FM employees will be able to directly interact with the career planning tool to explore and procure courses and training content through established government procurement processes, streamlining their access to professional development opportunities. Further details on this procurement process are available in the Application Package resource.
When navigating the interactive career map, employees will find these embedded links to education and training provider content strategically placed within the map, precisely where relevant to their career path and development needs. Upon clicking these external links, employees will be seamlessly redirected from CFO.gov to the respective education provider’s website. Here, they can access comprehensive information about the offered course or content, including curriculum details, scope, delivery modality, prerequisites, and pricing.
The final step empowers employees to directly engage with the education and training provider to procure the chosen course or content. While the government purchasing card (“P-Card”) is anticipated to be the primary procurement method, alternative purchasing options such as bulk subscriptions or licenses will also be accommodated, ensuring flexibility and ease of access.
Advantages for Education Providers
This initiative presents a unique and compelling opportunity for innovative training and education providers seeking to partner with the federal government in a large-scale workforce modernization and upskilling endeavor. Selected partners will gain significant benefits, positioning them at the forefront of federal workforce development.
Access to a Large Federal Workforce
Partnering as a Training and Education Provider (TTEP) grants an exclusive opportunity to be among a select group of organizations – seven or fewer – to directly embed links to purchasable training content within the Version 1.0 Career Planning Tool. This tool will be actively promoted to a financial management workforce estimated to encompass over 140,000 employees, each with an approximate training budget of $1,000 or more. Furthermore, leadership across the Financial Management functions within each CFO Act agency will champion the Career Planning Tool and, by extension, actively promote the linked course content from selected providers, significantly driving visibility and uptake.
Direct Engagement with CFO Council and Agencies
TTEPs will have the valuable opportunity to periodically present their course offerings, curriculum innovations, and strategic approaches to workforce modernization and continuous learning directly to the CFO Council and its Member Agencies, schedules permitting. This direct engagement facilitates meaningful dialogue and collaboration. Additionally, partners will be enabled to conduct periodic surveys to gather direct training feedback from the federal workforce and proactively identify evolving course content needs, ensuring continuous relevance and impact.
Significant Growth Potential
The Version 1.0 model’s success in meeting the professional development needs of the 140,000+ financial management workforce holds significant implications for future expansion. High participation rates and demonstrated effectiveness could pave the way for extending this career planning tool and partnership model to other critical functional areas across the federal and state government landscape. This includes potential expansion into IT, Acquisitions, Operations, State Governments, and even larger segments of the broader Federal Workforce, signifying substantial growth potential for participating education providers.
Enhanced Visibility and Reputation
By becoming a TTEP and participating in this pivotal Executive Branch initiative, your organization will gain unparalleled visibility and establish itself as a trusted partner in government workforce modernization and continuous learning. This involvement provides unique insights into the evolving workforce needs of federal agencies. To the extent that the TTEP is willing to engage, this partnership can solidify their position as a trusted advisor and contributor to critical workforce development topics within the government sector. Reputational success in this high-profile area can serve as a powerful catalyst for pursuing further opportunities across both the government and private sectors, amplifying long-term growth and influence.
Application Process for Education Providers
Education providers interested in exploring this partnership opportunity are encouraged to monitor the mentioned websites for ongoing updates and revised content releases. Mirror content, documents, and updates are consistently shared on sam.gov. To locate the relevant Request for Information (RFI) on sam.gov, utilize the abbreviated search term “FEDS140K”.
Please note the critical milestone dates outlined in the RFI, which govern the submission of questions, the schedule for the Q&A Town Hall, and the application deadline. Staying informed about these dates is crucial for a successful application.
For the most current information and to access the Application Package Documents, please refer to RFI and Application Package Documents.
By actively engaging with this initiative, education providers can play a transformative role in shaping the future of federal workforce development, while simultaneously unlocking significant opportunities for growth and impact within a substantial and engaged market.
