"Those who are fluent in using data will be the future leaders in our organization," said Clark Cully, DOD's deputy chief data officer.

"I think the divide between the need is growing compared to what we’re able to fulfill. I’m not sure we’re closing the gap, and time is ticking for us to do so," Lt. Gen. Dennis Crall, CIO of the Joint Staff, said during a hearing.

Michael Rigas said a recent executive order opens a major door for agencies to recruit and interview talented professionals who obtained their skills outside of school.

As part of the Federal Data Strategy 2020 Action Plan, the White House recently published a curated data skills catalog and a data ethics framework for public comment.

The order will allow agencies to vet "candidates using assessment methods that more directly determine whether job seekers possess the knowledge, skills and abilities to do the job they're applying for," said Michael Rigas.

Federal IT leaders foresee a significant need for a wide range of IT skills at their agencies over the next two years, with the greatest demand expected for specialists in cloud networking and application development, artificial intelligence, data analysis and enterprise engineering, according to a new survey. The rapid evolution of cloud-based computing services, the need to meet citizens’ digital services expectations and the explosive growth of data are placing…

The Government Accountability Office gave the same advice that agencies implement eight workforce planning activities in 2016 and 2018.