Hiring now at DHS: Resilient critical thinkers ready for the next pandemic

The Department of Homeland Security is rethinking and reshaping its workforce training and learning strategy as the pandemic, like almost everything else, has changed the way its employees operate and prepare for future national events and global.

Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and other technical skills are important, but last year highlighted the importance of recruiting, retaining and training DHS staff who can easily adapt to change. , department heads said last week at the DHS Centers of Excellence Summit, hosted by George Mason University.

“It’s such a dynamic environment; things change all the time, ”said Leann Pask, deputy director of the human performance branch at the Academy of Customs and Border Protection Field Operations. “From a technical skills perspective, we need everything from scientists to law enforcement, but we’re really looking at those soft skills that are our lifeblood and that will help us adapt regardless of what is going on. . Things change [more quickly] that we can even train on them.

That’s why CBP has expanded its employee support programs and chaplain program during the pandemic, Pask said. Employee resilience has always been a priority for the department, but it has taken on new meaning over the past year.

“Our current and future employees need to be absolutely critical thinkers,” said Clothilda Taylor, departmental learning and engagement manager. “They have to be resilient. This is really what we are looking for. [They need to be] ready for change and understand data analysis. “

These are the kinds of skills DHS looks for when it hires new employees – and assesses the skills and training needs of its current workforce.

The Transportation Safety Administration is trying to hire 6,000 new officers by this summer.

“That’s really another element that we’re looking for – people who can innovate, who can think of different ways of doing things,” said Kim Hutchinson, TSA chief learning officer. “This year has proven that we need to change in ways we never really imagined. I never thought I would create a training program on how to wear a mask, or how to wear a face shield or how to operate in a pandemic. These are really significant changes. “

FEMA conducted a training needs analysis last year and found opportunities to improve the digital skills of employees.

“Are there opportunities for artificial intelligence and machine learning? What are our people doing in our main technology office and how can we integrate this into learning? We’ve just created a community of practice that is examining technology within FEMA to help foster that connection within our agency, ”said Wendy Walsh, agency’s acting chief learning officer.

As DHS looks at training designed to improve employee resilience, communication and digital literacy skills, it is also considering new ways of delivering these courses.

Taylor said the ministry is evaluating what types of online training platforms and courses have worked during the pandemic and which have not.

“We live and breathe training, and we all thought it had to be in person,” she said. “There are still aspects of it, but I’m also a bigger supporter now that there is so much more we can do virtually.

At TSA training centers, employees created virtual book clubs where they read about resilience and leadership, Hutchinson said.

“It sounds hokey, but it was a great way to bring people together,” she said. “It’s not part of your daily job, but it has the advantage of keeping everyone connected.”

The agency also launched a new program where employees can sign up for virtual coffee with Hutchinson and other leaders at TSA’s three training centers. A random generator chooses one person to participate each week. Hutchinson said this was one of the many ways the TSA changed its methods of communicating with employees during the pandemic.

Like several agencies, the department expanded working hours and implemented other flexibilities in the workplace during the pandemic, which Taylor says have tied DHS headquarters workers and instilled a sentiment. of loyalty and trust.

“People had to understand how important they were to us,” she said. “It’s not just always about the work they do, it’s about them as a human being. We decided early on that we were going to be very flexible. We made sure our employees understood that the flexibility was there, to the point that we didn’t care if you were working at midnight. Whatever you have to do, just work it out with you and your family. “