2001

In 2001, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified the Federal government’s management of human resources as a government-wide high-risk area.  In the years following, OPM, the Chief Human Capital Officers (CHCO) Council, and other agencies launched initiatives to enhance the skills of human resources professionals across government, including HR University. 

2011 

In 2011, a Government-wide strategic workforce planning method was created through which agencies and the CHCOC could identify occupations and competencies where staffing gaps could jeopardize the ability of the Government or specific agencies to accomplish their missions. Agencies and the CHCOC used this common method to identify occupations and competencies for skills gaps closure. The CHCOC identified six mission critical occupational groups (MCO) requiring government-wide focus. The Human Resources function was one of the six.

2014 

Between 2010 and 2014, various strategies had been implemented to address skills gaps for federal HR Specialists. While some progress was made, there remained HR skill gaps across most of the government.

In 2014, OPM, in coordination with the CHCOC, undertook a formal program of work to “close the skill gaps” of the incumbent HR workforce. This was a much more comprehensive approach, underscored by new career map structures, fresh analyses of requisite competencies and design of a new/modified education and training program. 

2015 

In 2015, the Human Resources Specialist (0201) occupation was re-validated as one of the six high-risk governmentwide mission critical occupations (MCO).

The decision for the initial investment in the curricula development was made in 2015, with OPM’s Employee Services (ES), Multi-Agency Executive Strategy Committee (MAESC) and HR Solutions (HRS) signing on to “lead the effort”.

As described in the narrative associated with the Capital Investment Committee submission in May of that year, the intent of the initiative was to “reposition OPM as the ‘Government’s Trainer’ for Federal HR Training and to support closing skill gaps in the HR profession.”

A key success factor in this effort would be the establishment of a single, standard learning framework that HR practitioners will be expected to avail themselves of should they wish to grow in their profession.

The CHCOC approved of this OPM-governed approach: a defined a core set of technical and general HR competencies that are transferable across agencies and your insistence on a development framework for professional growth across all specialties combine to make a strong formula for success. 

In July 2015, the HR Skills Gap Closure Steering Committee (also called the Capability Improvement program), made up predominantly of Agency Human Capital Officers, approved the standard learning framework construct.

2016 

First known as the Federal HR Capability Program, the curriculum was designed to improve capability in all functional HR domains from early entry into the 200-job series through GS-15.  The curriculum was informed by the career path and competency specifications from OPM’s Merit System Accountability and Compliance (MSAC) and Employee Services (ES) to be the only comprehensive program of its kind for Federal HR practitioners. The curriculum suite would cover ten HR specialty areas:

1.      Staffing

2.      Employee Relations

3.      Labor Relations

4.      Classification

5.      Performance Management

6.      Human Resources Development

7.      Pay and Compensation

8.      HR Information Systems

9.      Employee Benefits

10.    Business Partner

2017 

In April 2017, OPM renamed the program and established the Federal Human Resources Institute (FHRI) as the enterprise’s developmental center for capability improvement. 

FHRI launched the first course of the HR functional area curriculum, Staffing, in July 2017. The curriculum is comprised of 22 courses and would be completed in March 2020.

2018 

OPM and the CHCOC continued to implement strategies to close the skills gaps of Federal HR Specialists. Together, OPM and Federal agencies have a vested interest in training employees who perform examining functions to be fully knowledgeable about competitive examining procedures. It had been many years since the Delegated Examining handbook was updated; competencies weren't standardized; and reporting had been inconsistent, making data about who was qualified/certified unreliable.

FHRI took on the task of aligning Delegated Examining certification processes with current requirements. This included working with OPM’s Employee Services (ES) to produce a new handbook and program guide, designing a new course creating an assessment test in cooperation with OPM’s HR Strategy and Evaluation Solutions (HRSES), devising a reliable reporting structure, developing a registration portal, and crafting a new approach to certification.

2019 

OPM released an updated Delegated Examining Operations Handbook in June 2019 after FHRI launched its new Delegated Examining (DE) certification program in April 2019. The Delegated Examining (DE) Program is a milestone in building capability within the HR Specialist occupation under the President’s Management Agenda Cross-Agency Priority Goal to achieve a 21st Century workforce and the OPM Agency Priority Goal on hiring. The redesigned Program supports the PMA by ensuring that HR Specialists who perform Delegated Examining are fully knowledgeable about competitive examining procedures to enable them to provide exceptional service to Federal hiring managers, so they hire and retain the right talent to meet agencies’ missions.

Although OPM is the sole provider of official DE certification, as of May 2019, Delegated Examining training was no longer mandated.

FHRI began its Classification Curriculum course development in July 2019.

2020 

FHRI completed the last course of Staffing Curriculum in March 2020 (22 courses).

In response to COVID-19, FHRI converted Delegated Examining training from in-person to online delivery.

2021 and Beyond 

With new courses, see what we have planned.

Learn More