Chief Training Officer, Jasmine Miller, Discusses Federal IT Skills Gap in the Federal News Network

This week, Per Scholas’ Chief Training Officer, Jasmine Miller, published a piece in the Federal News Network in which she discussed the challenges the U.S. federal government is currently facing in terms of recruiting and maintaining a diverse and qualified IT workforce.

Studies and surveys have revealed that a significant portion of chief information officers from federal agencies and contractors believe that “a deepening IT skills gap [has] had a significant impact on their agency’s ability to deliver services effectively.” Furthermore, a serious lack of diversity in the tech workforce, despite recent efforts, threatens to pull talented workers away from tech-related fields. 

In order to alleviate these issues, Jasmine argues, emphasis should be placed on upskilling and skills development opportunities, as well as a commitment to closing the gender and racial gap in tech hiring. Hiring practices should also be adjusted in order to make federal tech roles more accessible to qualified candidates who may have gained their credentials through methods alternative to the typical four-year degree. “Current hiring practices create barriers for candidates to apply for IT positions in government,” Jasmine notes, “and federal guidelines around degrees and experience often narrow the pool of job candidates.”

Read Jasmine’s full story here!