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.