This Directive was canceled December 2, 2003.

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration

June 28, 1996

Part Two: Training and Career Development
Chapter 2: Career Development Programs

Par.

1. Purpose

2. Authority and References

3. Responsibilities

4. Definitions

5. Developmental Opportunities

6. Individual Development Plans

7. Mentoring

1. PURPOSE. To offer Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) employees a variety of means by which they can develop their careers to meet their fullest potential. The FHWA Career Development Program emphasizes an employee's responsibility for his or her own career development with input, support, and advice from supervisors, the career development staff in the Office of Personnel and Training (OPT), and FHWA top management.

2. AUTHORITY AND REFERENCES.

   1. Title 5, United States Code (U.S.C.), Chapter 41,

   2. FHWA Personnel Management Manual (PMM), Chapter 3, Section 1, Merit Promotion Plan, and

   3. Office of Personnel Management's Qualification Standards Operating Manual.

3. RESPONSIBILITIES.

   1. Supervisors will work together with employees to identify specific developmental assignments and/or training opportunities in line with an employee's short and long-range goals. Supervisors will assist interested employees with the development of Individual Development Plans (IDP's), applying for developmental assignments, obtaining formal and informal training, and monitoring the employee's progress at achieving his or her career development goals. Supervisors are responsible for communicating information to employees about career development programs.

   2. Employees initiate the career development process by taking an active interest in their own careers. An employee's responsibility includes self-assessment, setting short and long-range goals, initiating contact with the supervisor, working with the supervisor to prepare an IDP, and actively pursuing appropriate developmental activities. In addition to participating in FHWA-sponsored activities, employees are encouraged to undertake self-development on their own time and using their own resources.

   3. The Training and Executive Development Division (TEDD) within OPT is responsible for overall management of the Career Development Program. This includes keeping supervisors and employees informed regarding career development opportunities, maintaining a reference center of career development materials and information, assisting in the development of IDP's, coordinating seminars for the benefit of FHWA employees, providing formal andinformal training classes for supervisors and employees, and overseeing the operation of rotational assignments and other developmental programs.

4. DEFINITIONS.

   1. FHWA Formal and Informal Training System - is the ongoing means of providing formal and informal training classes and corresponding resources to all FHWA employees. This includes central training, local training, videotape training, and programs such as the FHWA Academic Study Program and long-term special Fellowship programs.

   2. Career Paths - are patterns of advancement historically followed by employees in FHWA to achieve career goals.

   3. Developmental Opportunities - include details, rotational assignments, workgroups or project teams, and other assignments to positions which offer an employee an opportunity to gain experience and/or exposure to a different field or position for a specific length of time.

   4. Individual Development Plan (IDP) - is a tool designed to enable an employee to work with his or her supervisor to identify short and long-range career objectives and related training objectives.

   5. Mentor - is an employee who is able to provide other employees with information and advice on career choices, based on his or her own experience and familiarity with career options in FHWA.

5. DEVELOPMENTAL OPPORTUNITIES. These opportunities are designed to broaden the scope of an employee's training and experience, as well as to offer supervisorsflexibility in staffing positions. There are three principal types of developmental opportunities: developmental assignments, rotational assignments and cross-over assignment.

   1. Developmental Assignments. These are assignments through the normal staffing process to positions identified as "developmental". This form of career development provides an opportunity for employees wishing to broaden skills and prepare for future assignments in the FHWA.

      (1) Managers identify developmental positions within their organizations and consult with their servicing personnel specialist for specific details related to establishing and filling these positions.

      (2) These positions are staffed in accordance with merit promotion procedures. The duration of an assignment to a developmental position will be stated in the vacancy announcement for the position. Typically, assignment to one of these positions is for two to three years, with the expectation that the employee will move into a different position after that point.

   2. Rotational Assignments. A selected employee "rotates" to an assignment for a pre-determined period of time, at the end of which the employee returns to his or her original position. These assignments are designed to give employees new experiences to enhance competence in their original positions, and/or to gain valuable insight regarding possible future careers choices.

      (1) Rotational assignments are typically brief in duration, usually lasting from two to four months.

      (2) Managers identify rotational assignments in their organizations and provide OPT with specific information pertaining to the length of assignment, the duties of the assignment, the occupational series and grade level of the assignment, technical requirements which may apply, and the location of the assignment. The OPT staff forwards this information for coordination and approval by the Executive Director.

      (3) Approved rotational opportunities are announced FHWA-wide and interested candidates may be nominated by their supervisors. The names of nominated employees are forwarded to Regional Administrators and Associate Administrators for tentative selection and are forwarded to the Executive Director for final approval.

      (4) Assignments may be staffed competitively or non-competitively, depending on the nature of the rotational assignments and the qualifications of the candidates.

      (5) Costs incurred in completing rotational assignments, where appropriate, are centrally funded.

      (6) Specific information regarding the procedures necessary to develop and coordinate rotational assignments is available from the staff of the TEDD.

   3. Cross-over Assignments. A cross-over assignment is one in which an employee may "cross over" to a position in a different career field for which he or she may not meet Office of Personnel Management(OPM) qualification standards. Supervisors should view a cross-over assignment as an additional option for staffing a position in their organization.

      (1) To initiate a cross-over assignment, in most cases a Career Opportunity Training Agreement (COAT) must be established and approved by the gaining supervisor and TEDD. A COAT allows for a time-limited suspension of OPM qualification standards. It describes the specific training an employee must receive in order to meet OPM qualification standards for the designed or target position in the new career field at the completion of the COAT time frame.

      (2) In some cases, lateral reassignment of an employee to a different career field is possible without the use of a COAT. The servicing personnel office will work with supervisors and employees to determine whether an interested employee possesses the qualifications which would allow him or her to be laterally reassigned to a new job series without the use of a COAT.

      (3) Selection for a cross-over assignment may be competitive or non-competitive, depending upon the grade level of the target position and the qualifications of the employee applying for the assignment. Non-competitive cross-over assignment opportunities may be developed for individuals within an organization if there would be no greater potential for promotion in the target positions. Competitive staffing ofa cross-over assignment is appropriate if there are a number of known candidates for the target position and when the target position will offer greater promotion potential to the selected candidate.

      (4) Staffing a cross-over position through the use of a COAT will be done by the servicing personnel office, with assistance from the TEDD, if necessary. The TEDD will advise on and monitor established training plans.

      (5) Cross-over assignments subject to a COAT will typically be one to two years in length. Upon successful completion of the COAT training period, a participant will be fully qualified for the target position. If the participant does not satisfactorily complete the program, he or she will return to the previous position (if available) or to a similar position for which he or she is qualified.

6. INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS.

   1. The use of IDP's is not mandatory within FHWA; however, managers and supervisors are encouraged to promote the use of them within their own organizations. The servicing personnel office and the TEDD staff have sample IDP formats and can offer guidance on the IDP process.

   2. An IDP should be completed by the first-level supervisor and the employee. An IDP is most effective when it is based on present and projected organizational needs, builds on employee skills, interests, and career objectives, and represents the best possible integration of individual and organizational objectives. Useful sources for reference when writing an IDP are job descriptions, statements of organizational objectives, employee performance appraisals, FHWA core curricula for certain fields, educational requirements, etc. This review should provide the necessary background information to identify employee development needs and determine how best to meet those needs.

   3. An IDP may be developed at any time. Some supervisors and employees may prefer to discuss employee development during the employee performance appraisal session while others may prefer to discuss it in connection with the annual call for training, or at some other time. Ideally, an IDP is prepared and updated on a yearly basis.

7. MENTORING.

   1. Mentoring is a partnership where an experienced member of an organization (the mentor) provides information, guidance, and support to another person (the protégé). The mentor identifies and helps to arrange special assignments aimed at providing career-broadening experiences for the protégé. This helps to give protégés professional growth opportunities they might otherwise miss, and it gives mentors an opportunity to enhance their coaching and leadership skills.

   2. Managers, supervisors and senior employees are encouraged to serve as mentors for employees. A mentor should be familiar with the variety of FHWA careers and career development strategies, and be willing to contribute time and personal effort to guiding employees toward achieving their career goals. The FHWA employees interested in more information regarding mentoring should contact their servicing personnel office.

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