GSA seeks online learning providers for upskilling pilot across 24 agencies
The General Services Administration is looking to pilot a tool that identifies a federal employee’s knowledge gaps and lets them purchase online educational content to fill them, according to a request for information released Thursday.
GSA wants online universities and tech companies to apply to work with the federal Chief Financial Officers Council on providing pay-for-access content across 54 competencies with an emphasis on data, technology and financial management skills.
The Biden-Harris administration has prioritized innovation within the government’s approach to workforce modernization and upskilling, and the pilot will leverage about 140,000 employees within its financial management community — spanning the 24 largest agencies in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget.
“Not only has this new pilot effort been driven up from agencies and required very little upfront investment,” said Deidre Harrison, deputy controller in OMB’s Office of Federal Financial Management, in the announcement. “But it can be quickly scaled to larger segments of the federal workforce if successful.”
If the pilot is successful in attracting effective, reasonably priced upskilling content, it could be expanded among the 2.1 million employees in the federal workforce.
Applications are also open to business education content holders and talent development vendors, and those selected will become “trusted providers.” The deadline to apply is Dec. 16.
“We really hope innovative learning content providers take note of this unique opportunity and
consider applying,” said Krystal Brumfield, associate administrator of GSA’s Office of Government-wide Policy. “We’ve structured this to be very low risk for them and the commercial opportunity for any selected providers has the potential to be wide open.”
