Science and Engineering Programs On Target for Women? (1992) / Chapter Skim
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8 Promoting Science and Engineering Careers in the Federal Government
8 Promoting Science and Engineering Careers in the Federal Government
Pages 141-160
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From page 141... ...
, from which much of the following information is drawn. Introduction Approximately 202,300 social scientists, computer specialists, biological scientists, agricultural scientists, engineers, physical scientists, and mathematical and computer scientists are employed by the federal government in a variety of work-activity classifications, including research, data collection, management, and testing and evaluation.
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From page 142... ...
than seniority, simplified classification systems that enable the labs to retrain RIFed staff ~ Bands of salad, as opposed to the Civil Service's grades, give wider latitude to managers deterniining salaries for either ene~-level or experienced en~pioyees. SOURCE: Sheldon B
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From page 143... ...
, established as the successor of the U.S. Civil Service Commission with the passage of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, has undertaken several initiatives to assist in the successful recruitment of individuals to federal agencies.' Some of those efforts are described below.
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From page 144... ...
The dates and pertinent information regarding each are listed in Table 8-2. Career America Developed by OPM's Office of Affirmative Recruiting and Employment, a series of professionally designed brochures describes employment opportunities within federal agencies.
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From page 145... ...
TABLE 8-2: Federal Career Fairs, 1990-1991 Number of Participating Number of Number Date Agencies Attendees Selected June 22-23, 1990 63 20,000 888 January28-29, 1991 66 25,000 812 July26-27, 1991 56 18,000 670 December As, 1991 68 15,000 249 SOURCE: Marilyn G owing, Promoting Careers i': Federal Govemment' paper presented at the National Research Council conference, "Science and Engmeer~g Programs: On Target for Women? ," Irvine, CA, November ~5, 1991.
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From page 146... ...
Flexible Benefits Policies enacted to retain all federal workers tend to benefit federally employed scientists and engineers, both men and women: these include a generous leave program (including leave for parental and family responsibilities) , comprehensive health benefits, flexible and compressed work schedules, part-time employment and job sharing, employee assistance programs, dependent care referral programs, and child care centers (OPM, 1988~.
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From page 147... ...
As a result of decentralization, 95 percent of scientists and engineers (essentially, all of the engineers, "hard" scientists, medical specialists, mathematicians, and computer scientists in the federal government) are employed through direct-hire authority that is, the agendas find potential employees and hire them on the spot in order not to find themselves in the situation whereby desired individuals have taken employment elsewhere.4 More widely implemented by OPM since July 1989, these changes appear to offer increased opportunities to hire entry-level candidates and may afford agencies a more competitive position in the college recruitment arena.
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From page 148... ...
Executive Potential Program: Over 50 percent of the enrollees in this program designed for scientific and technical specialists moving into management are women. ~ A _ _ =~ 11 ~ ~~ ~ , · ~e~s reflows Program: Participants in this program receive special assignments in congressional offices and attend congressional briefings and seminars as part of their management training.
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From page 149... ...
Agency-Specific Initiatives Speaking to participants at the CWSE-sponsored conference at Irvine in 1991, Marjorie L Budd, chief of the policy and curriculum initiatives division in OPM's Office of Employee Development Policy and Programs, emphasized five Cross-cutting characteristics of successful programs in the federal government": 3 4 The programs are part of an organization's strategic business plan, designed specifically by the agency to meet its mission and goals, ~ Scientific leadership and human resources leadership are involved, Programs are developed to create career paths and to prepare routes for women and minorities to rise in the organization, Programs are located in areas of critical need where project work creates a sense of accomplishment, and Flexibilities are built in to provide for two-career families and domestic considerations (Budd, 1991~.
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From page 150... ...
In the report outline of the DOE program review, it was noted that "to be effective, student education programs designed to encourage young women to enter careers in science and engineering must be accompanied by programs that enhance career development opportunities for those R&D women already pursuing careers in science and engineering. Only by the coupling of these two tvDes of nrn~r~mc will nrnarecc he marls in the , _, J r r —~~ r ~,~ ~, an .~ A.AA BAAS effective and fair utilization of the talents of women in the R&D work force" (DOE, 1990~.
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From page 151... ...
Financial backing from the office of the ANL director provides visibility and a means for the women in science to have input into the laboratory program. Many parties were interested in the role of the Women in Science Program Initiator the Affirmative Action Office, the Division of Educational 151
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From page 152... ...
Measures of the significance of the program are the changes that have been instituted within ANL. These include continued development of an outreach program, including an annual "Science Careers in Search of Women" conference; increased sensitivity of managers due to presentations at meetings of division directors, operation managers, and group leaders in the different divisions; assistance on recruitment, such as helping staff locate viable candidates for a managerial position in nuclear engineering; development of programs promoting upward mobility; and identification of potential funding sources for a proposed re-entry program in waste management and environmental engmeermg.
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From page 153... ...
Agency Air Force Army Corps of Engineers Defense Intelligence Agency Defense Mapping Agency National Security Agency Naval Air Development Center Naval Ocean Systems Center Naval Research Laboratory Naval Weapons Center Program · Full-time training in science and engineering for full-time permanent employees Career Intern Program · Waterways Experiment Station Graduate Institute · Full-time Study Program · Off-site educational opportunities Advanced Studies Program · After-Hours College Training · Directed Fellowship/Scholarship Program for full-time permanent employees · Grow Your Own Program to fill agency shortages in fields such as collection operations and telecommunications · Computer Operations Associates Program for employees enrolled in computer science, data processing, or computer operations programs at community colleges · Part-time Undergraduate Study Award · UndergraduateAcademicProgram · Edison Memorial Training Program (combined work study) · Full-time training in science and engineering for full-time permanent employees SOURCE: Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET)
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From page 154... ...
Among the recommendations of that panel are the following: EPA should expand the use of career development paths, such as those in place for research scientists. The Agency should establish a separate science career track for individuals in the program offices who have appropriate scientific and technical background and who are regularly involved in providing science advice or reviewing science issues and data for regulatory purposes.
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From page 155... ...
, women scientists and engineers employed by the federal government tend to encounter a glass ceiling, an invisible barrier that has kept them out of top jobs (see Figure 8-1 and Table 8-44. As noted at the CWSE-sponsored interventions conference, At the lower grades (GS 5, 7, 9, and even 11)
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From page 156... ...
SummaIy The federal government has begun to be more proactive in its efforts to recruit and retain not only its scientific and engineering work force, but more particularly its employees who are women scientists and engineers. Many of the federal initiatives in this area can be traced to the establishment of the Office of Personnel Management ~ 1972.
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From page 157... ...
Assessments, similar to the DOE program reviews, should be undertaken by all federal agencies employing scientists and engineers in order to verify their recruitment and retention rates, particularly of women scientists and engineers; determine the extent to which glass ceilings and walls have become institutionalized; and develop a plan for eliminating barriers to the recruitment and retention of women scientists and engineers within a particular federal agency. Drawing on programs implemented in the private sector and in the Department of Energy, federal agencies should design strategies that facilitate networking and mentoring among women scientists and engineers.
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From page 158... ...
Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology, Committee on Education and Human Resources.
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From page 159... ...
U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
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From page 160... ...
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