The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is inching closer to the launch of a Cyber Talent Management System (CTMS) to help improve and expand the agency’s cyber workforce.
Speaking at the AFFIRM/USCC Annual Cybersecurity Summit today, Chief Human Capital Officer at DHS Angela Bailey said officials are getting ready to put the program through internal clearance, and that it may hit the Federal Register for comment in late spring of 2021.
“Part of that as you know is rulemaking, so we have to write regulations and all kinds of stuff. Where we are right now with that process is we’re getting ready to put that into the internal clearance,” Bailey said. “We have some advance copies over to [the Office of Personnel Management], we’ve also held conversations with [the Office of Management and Budget] as well. Both are incredibly supportive of the efforts that we’re trying to do.”
“It’s a wow,” exclaimed DHS CIO Karen Evans, speaking at the same event today, of progress on activating the CTMS. “It’s so exciting.”
Describing how CTMS can be used, Evans said it will help the government better match candidates to available jobs, and hire more people and put them on a cybersecurity career path. “It’s everything we have wanted” to help increase the talent pipeline, she said.
DHS’ CTMS has long been in the making, as the agency held an in-person industry day seeking feedback on objectives of the program back in Dec. 2019. In a notice released at the time, DHS said it wanted to use CTMS to identify: “new methods for describing work, identifying and encouraging applicants, considering time/professional experience, evaluating applicants and employees, and managing career progression.”
