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News Release
Wednesday, December 8, 2004
Tel: 202-606-2402
OPM Director Kay Coles James Sends Team on Additional Tour to Train Agencies on Hiring Flexibilities
16 city tour trains hiring professionals from 26 agencies on available hiring flexibilities to assist in efforts to bring on best and brightest
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kay Coles James recently announced the continued efforts of OPM to streamline the hiring process. OPM is committed to ensuring agencies are aware of the various hiring options they have to fill their mission-critical positions, and in providing federal hiring managers with as much hiring information as necessary.
"America's best and brightest are ready to serve, and federal hiring managers must be knowledgeable of tools available to assist them in quickly hiring the superb talent available to the government," said James. "The training symposiums provide agency leaders and managers with instructions on how to implement existing hiring flexibilities to hire the most qualified applicants to work for the federal government. The results are better-educated hiring officials focused on their respective hiring needs and mission-critical positions."
Since June, OPM, partnering with Federal Executive Boards, has conducted 16 symposiums in cities throughout the country. The half-day symposiums feature sessions led by OPM senior officials and other agency representatives on the various hiring flexibilities, including sessions on veterans' preference, student and excepted-service employment authorities, the Pledge to Applicants, James' memorandum on the "Top Things You Can Do To Improve Federal Hiring," and the 45-Day Hiring Model.
"Providing information on bringing the best new talent on board, and on board quickly, is the primary topic at the symposiums," James stated. "We need to make it clear that applicants no longer need to put their careers on hold once these flexibilities are in place and provide for speedy hiring,." she added.
To date, symposiums were held in the following cities: Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Atlanta; Boston; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Miami; St. Louis; and Denver. Symposiums also have been conducted in Houston; Dallas; Baltimore; Kansas City; New Orleans; Oklahoma City; and Albuquerque.
Additional symposiums are scheduled for the following cities and dates: New York City, Dec 15; Newark, Dec 16; Minnesota, Dec 21; San Antonio, Jan 11; Cleveland, Jan 19; Seattle, Jan 26; and Portland, Jan 27. Symposiums also are being scheduled for Cincinnati; San Francisco; Los Angeles; and Honolulu.
Agencies represented at the symposiums to date include the following:
Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce
Department of Defense
Department of Education
Department of Energy
Department of Homeland Security
Department of the Interior
Department of Justice
Department of Labor
Department of Transportation
Department of the Treasury
Department of Veterans Affairs
U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Environmental Protection Agency
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
General Services Administration
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of Cuba Broadcasting
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
U.S. Postal Service
Railroad Retirement Board
Small Business Administration
Smithsonian Institution
Social Security Administration.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is the leader in workforce management for the federal government. Our agency builds, strengthens, and serves a federal workforce of 2.2 million employees with programs like hiring assistance, healthcare and insurance, retirement benefits, and much more. We provide agencies with policies, guidance, and best practices for supporting federal workers, so they can best serve the American people.