Chris Mihm, managing director for intergovernmental relations and strategic issues at the Government Accountability Office, said at an event in Washington, D.C. that most agencies are facing a “critical skills gapâ€, Nextgov reported Tuesday.Â
Sixteen out of 35 areas under GAO’s High Risk List are rooted in human capital issues, according to Mihm. He added that hiring, training, retaining cyber staff to deal with evolving threats is “a big challenge for federal agencies.”
“Increasingly, success is going to be thinking in new and creative ways—and that’s the link that has to take place between human capital approaches, human capital planning and the mission outcomes that we need to achieve.â€Â
In addition, agencies should also consider including workforce strategies into long-term plans and transition away from position-based planning to competence-based planning for future cyber requirements, he said.