DHS Centers of Excellence Summit Focuses on Hiring Innovative Workforce

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reshaping its workforce training and hiring strategy to better respond to global crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. At the DHS Centers of Excellence Summit, held at George Mason University, department leaders said they were looking to hire and retain a workforce that can adapt to change in a dynamic environment.

Leann Pask, assistant director for the human performance branch at Customs and Border Protection (CBP)’s Field Operations Academy, said, “From a technical skills perspective, we need everything from scientists to law enforcement, but we really are looking at those soft skills that are our cornerstone and that will help us to adapt regardless of what’s going on. Things are changing [more quickly] than we can even train on them.”

Building employee resiliency and retaining employees who can adapt to fast paced environments is crucial for the efficiency of DHS. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is looking to hire 6,000 more employees by summer 2021 and will be looking for these skills in their hiring process.

TSA has also created new programs to help employees during the pandemic, such as allowing employees to sign up for the opportunity to be selected by a random generator to have a virtual coffee with Kim Hutchinson, TSA’s chief learning officer, and other leaders. TSA training center employees have also launched virtual book clubs where they can learn about resiliency and leadership.

“That is really another piece that we’re looking for — people who can innovate, who can think of different ways to do things,” said Hutchinson. “This year has proven we’ve had to shift in ways we never really imagined. I never thought I’d 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.”