The Department of Agriculture is on a mission to make its workforce more data-savvy.
This is a key focus of the company’s data science training program and a key element of its department-wide data strategy released last year.
Chris Rottler, chief data officer at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), said the data science training program began as a pilot three years ago with about 20 employees participating.
FNS launched the training program following a department-wide data skills assessment. The assessment found that there are skills gaps across USDA and that the department needs to train data personnel in open source languages such as R and Python.
In response to this assessment, Rottler said FNS has developed custom training on how to leverage USDA’s suite of data science tools on USDA’s Enterprise Data Analytics Platform (EDAP).
Rottler said his team has developed a custom curriculum that provides employees with hands-on training in using USDA data on the EDAP platform.
The training program began with 20 employees in its first year, but quickly expanded to other agencies within USDA. Now in its third year, the program has 160 of his employees.
“The program itself is a key component of not only FNS, but USDA’s upskilling strategy, because it is working and there is great demand from across USDA to participate,” Rottler said recently. He spoke on the program. All about data.
Training programs are available in Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced tracks. Freddy Diaz said USDA officials also recently heard from experts about generative AI and its potential use within USDA.
“Programs like the USDA Data Science Training Program are an important spotlight on what we can do when we work together and really push everyone from a workforce standpoint,” Diaz said.
Strengthening USDA’s data and analytics workforce is a key feature of the agency’s FY2024-FY2027 data strategy. This is his second enterprise data strategy of its kind at USDA.
“The first one was getting the program off the ground and making sure we understood the value of USDA data and really building on it. We’ve had a lot of accomplishments and successes now, so we can build on that. It’s important that we continue to have that level of success and maturity,” Diaz said.
CDOs across the sector are also collaborating with USDA’s recently established Digital Services, which focuses on improving the customer experience.
Diaz said the CDO is working with USDA Digital Services and its executive director, Arianne Gallagher Welcher, on how to recruit, hire and develop the agency’s IT talent.
“We partnered with her and her group to figure out where there are opportunities to strengthen our data and IT talent together, where there are opportunities for collaboration and partnership, where there are opportunities to just bring resources together. “I’ve been looking for that,” he said.
USDA Digital Services has launched a fellows program to bring IT and data professionals to the USDA, he added.
Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not directed to users within the European Economic Area.
