US Department of Labor announces release of Geospatial Technology Competency Model

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration today announced the release of an industry competency model for geospatial technology. There are now 16 models available on the Competency Model Clearinghouse available through the department's One-Stop Career Centers website. The Geospatial Technology Competency Model has been developed by researching and analyzing publicly available resources, existing skill standards, competency-based curricula and certifications to provide an employer-driven framework of the skills needed for success in geospatial technology.

"Competency models offer workers an opportunity to learn what it takes to enter a particular field," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "The geospatial model serves as a guide for those who want to both find a good job and map out a long-term career pathway in any of several geospatial technology fields including surveying and mapping, computer science and information science."

The model will serve as a resource for career guidance, curriculum development and evaluation, career pathway development, recruitment and hiring, continuing professional development, certification and assessment development, apprenticeship program development and outreach efforts to promote geospatial technology careers.

ETA worked with employer and education partners for two years to develop and validate a model that represents the broad range of services, technical and manufacturing professions, and products within the fields of geography, surveying and mapping, computer science, information science and other specialized areas of application that comprise geospatial technology. The GeoTech Center, a government, academia and industry partnership funded, in part, by a grant from the National Science Foundation and based at Del Mar College, led the validation process.

The model builds on previous efforts to describe geospatial industry skill needs, including the Geospatial Technology Competency Model developed at the University of Southern Mississippi. The new model groups competencies into foundational competencies, core geospatial competencies and competencies for three geospatial sectors: positioning and data acquisition, analysis and modeling, and software and application development.

To access the new competency model, visit the Competency Model Clearinghouse at http://www.careeronestop.org/competencymodel/.

For more information on the range of Department of Labor employment and training programs visit http://www.doleta.gov.