Governments Need More Creative Upskilling Solutions (3 of 4)

Part 3 of a 4-part series on upskilling in government

By far the most effective way for anyone to learn a new skill is to immerse themselves in it. Immersion should be the starting principle for any digital upskilling program, as well as good design

In my previous post in this series, I looked at some common approaches to training in government, and described how they aren’t necessarily effective to accomplish the large-scale change required to increase government’s level of digital maturity.

In December 2020, Bill Hunt wrote an excellent 3-part series of IT policy recommendations about his ideas for improving technology practice in the U.S. federal government. In his second post on hiring, he argued that it’s not enough to train government staff for a few short weeks on a skill or field new to them, such as cybersecurity, but that long-term apprenticeship programs are needed to give staff a meaningful, hands-on experience.

There’s No Substitute for First-Hand Learning

Advancing the digital skills of government staff and leadership to meet people’s current expectations is like learning anything else: there’s no substitute for immersion and first-hand experience.

There’s a wide variety of apprenticeship programs out there — but there could be more. Current programs tend to focus on specific skilled industries — “blue collar” fields such as hospitality, construction, plumbing or carpentry. Often they’re government-run programs that provide training to the general public in sectors where there is an urgent need for new entrants. Occasionally, they’re designed to encourage people from a specific community to enter a specific industry, such as the Government of Canada’s IT Apprenticeship Program for Indigenous Peoples. And sometimes, like the Federal Cyber Re-skilling Academy in the U.S. federal government that Bill Hunt discussed, they’re too short.

In any event, only the American Federal Cyber Re-skilling Academy is meant to train existing government employees.

Implementing Long-Term Programs Would Not Be Easy

Upskilling existing government employees through a long-term apprenticeship program would not be easy: the amount of resources required to take away one person for a year or two, when resources are already thin and talent retention (let alone hiring) is an ongoing concern, is more than most teams can afford.

But accomplishing anything substantial is never easy, least of all in government. Resources will always be thin, even in large ministries and agencies, and the problem of retention isn’t going away — if anything, it’s getting worse. So sacrificing something is necessary, and immersion is by far the best principle upon which to build.

The Challenges — and Importance — of Breaking Out of The Status Quo

If leaders and managers are not satisfied with the status quo, the best alternative is to think differently: particularly about human resources, beyond what some remarkable civic tech leaders are already doing (for example, creating simpler job descriptions and putting into place teams that are cross-functional and therefore more effective).

To be fair, some significant constraints within government organizations are out of the hands of middle management and even some executives. In some governments, unions hold a strong influence on job standardization and a focus on seniority over skill.

Yet there are ways leadership can think creatively beyond or within these constraints, and indeed, to find ways to discuss these issues with union leadership, whose interests lie in maintaining membership (which correlates with, among other things, talent retention).

Mandatory Instead of Voluntary?

It’s pretty apparent that while individuals (including myself) have benefitted from courses, voluntary approaches aren’t enough to fill the skills gap.

At the same time, dragging people kicking and screaming is no answer, either. Mandatory programs can lead to frustration and resentment. And just because a program is mandatory doesn’t automatically make it high quality, or effective at changing behavior.

Interestingly, some governments require all employees take certain courses on subjects they deem essential, such as compliance with accessibility standards or training on subjects related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. While these courses may increase knowledge, it’s not clear how effective they are at changing behaviour. To my knowledge, pre- and post- behaviour is not being measured.

Lead or Follow?

And yet, if you are not going to change, the world will do so anyway, and you will have no choice but to follow.

COVID showed this vividly: most government offices had no choice but to react. They hadn’t initiated remote work or technology prior to the pandemic, and they largely weren’t prepared for it. Only the few ministries or agencies already working remotely and digitally when COVID hit were the most nimble in those early critical weeks and months (and in most cases, they continue to have greater effectiveness and higher staff retention).

So the question is, if a mandatory program won’t work, is there a way to achieve change at scale through incentives and purposeful design?

More on this in my final post.