Department of Defense Education Activity

Goal 3: Talent Excellence

Student working at computer

Talent Excellence

A talented workforce is an essential part of student achievement, and DoDEA must maintain a highly skilled and motivated workforce that is equipped with the right resources to meet the ever-changing needs of students. DoDEA identified three Strategic Initiatives to achieve the Goal of Talent Excellence: ensure workforce and human capital capacity, promote employee engagement, and integrated human resource technology. Together, these Strategic Initiatives ensure that DoDEA is attracting, hiring, and retaining a strong team while encouraging employee growth, development, and engagement.

Ensuring Workforce and Human Capital Capacity

DoDEA’s success in providing excellence in education to every student begins with recruiting and retaining a range of talented individuals. This Strategic Initiative directs DoDEA’s efforts to identify staffing shortfalls, hire and develop diverse and talented employees, and prioritize critical staffing needs. This Strategic Initiative will help DoDEA develop a Human Capital Plan that incorporates recruitment, retention, and succession strategies in order to sustain appropriate levels of staffing.

Promoting Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is the key to a productive workforce. To support engagement, DoDEA will embark on a series of cultural audits to use data to drive meaningful change. DoDEA will develop networks for employees to learn and problem-solve together, fostering
a safe, supportive, and innovative workplace. DoDEA will also encourage employee engagement by developing career pathways and progression plans that identify relevant professional learning opportunities as well as leadership development across all domains.

Integrated Human Resource Technology

Human Resource data must be accurate and instantly accessible to meet DoDEA’s dynamic school system’s ever-changing needs. This Initiative will allow DoDEA to track and monitor hiring actions and verify the accuracy of human resource actions, resulting in data-informed decisions that create significant efficiencies. Accessible, accurate data will be used to enhance workforce diversity, recruitment, and succession planning.

A talented workforce is an essential element of student achievement.

Goal 3- Strategic Initiative 3.1: 

Ensuring Workforce and Human Capital Capacity — Design and implement succession planning initiatives to increase organizational capacity and workforce diversity. 

 Critical Success Factors 

  1. Develop Human Capital Plan and Cycle: To address future workforce demographic and staffing needs at all locations, we will develop a multi-dimensional data-driven Human Capital Plan that defines employee recruitment, retention, and succession strategies.
  2. Organizational Capacity to Complete Background Checks in a Timely Manner: We will provide adequate capacity to conduct Child Care National Agency Check and Inquires (CNACI) and background checks for all employees in order to sustain appropriate levels of staffing.
Goal 3- Strategic Initiative 3.2: 

Promoting Employee Engagement - Expand opportunities to increase capacity and engagement in the workforce.

Critical Success Factor:

  1. Career Pathways and Progressions with Corresponding Training and Professional Development Opportunities: In order to grow and retain a highly skilled and motivated workforce, we will provide career pathways and progressions that incorporate professional learning opportunities for all employees.
  2. Best Practice and a Culture of Innovation: To develop a shared understanding of what works best for student learning, and spread innovation throughout the system, we will create networks of employees that learn and problem-solve together.
  3. Leadership Development Program: We will provide methodology and professional learning in leadership and management skills across all domains to strengthen efficiency and effectiveness of agency management.
  4. Safe and Supportive Environments for Working: As we sustain a welcoming and productive environment for employees, we will provide timely access to support, accommodations, and resources that enable employees to engage and to perform the essential functions of their jobs.
  5. Employee Environmental and Cultural Audits: We will leverage employee environmental and
    cultural audits as we make data driven decisions that improve customer service and employee engagement.
Goal 3- Strategic Initiative 3.3: 

Integrated Human Resource Technology — Expand and integrate technology to streamline services, remain competitive, and increase transparency through stakeholder access to information and resources.

Critical Success Factors:

  1. Strategic Human Capital Management System: NO LONGER REQUIRED
  2. Hiring Process Tracking System: COMPLETE
  3. Accurate Human Resource Actions: We will implement a method to track and analyze the accuracy of hiring and other Human Resource actions to continuously improve the quality of Human Capital processes.