Skills Wiki for Government Hires and Gap Analysis

by Meha Ahluwalia and Maeve Sneddon, with support from Betsy Cooper and Maitreyi Sistla

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In an effort to demystify and consolidate government skills resources, the Aspen Tech Policy Hub published two new resources: a Skills Wiki for New Government Tech Employees and a Gap Analysis for resources that do not yet, but should, exist.

Numerous federal agencies offer onboarding guides to new employees unfamiliar to government, from demystifying the budget process and navigating procurement, to understanding government terminology and finding professional development resources. The Wiki consolidates these government onboarding resources, which are currently dispersed throughout separate agency websites, into a single accessible location.

Included in this Wiki is a Gap Analysis that provides recommendations for the creation of govtech resources that should be developed by government agencies or public interest organizations. Whether you are a new government hire, a government agency, or a nonprofit organization that works closely with government technologists, we encourage you to view the Wiki and Gap Analysis here.

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Skills Wiki

The Skills Wiki has four sections: Government Systems (e.g. navigating budget processes or procurement), Government Norms (e.g. understanding government acronyms), Professional Development (e.g. management and leadership resources), and Tech in Government (e.g design and software development resources). These sections are interactive and educational, providing actionable information and skill-building to assist in the assimilation and success of new government hires.

Though this guide is geared towards new tech hires from the private sector, many resources would benefit any new government employee. 

View the Wiki

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Gap Analysis

This gap analysis proposes that organizations or agencies develop resources that cover government norms and language that are specific to technologists; access to networking and mentorship; important laws that affect the way government employees get things done, such as the Paperwork Reduction Act; and onboarding documents for new technologists. 

The analysis is broken into four sections that parallel the associated Skills Wiki: Government Systems, Government Norms, Professional Development, and Tech in Government.