“In the wake of surging demands for medical professionals and critical expertise to support the coronavirus response, the government is using temporary rotational opportunities to match current federal employees with agencies and offices that have immediate needs.”
“The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is leading the COVID-19 Surge Response Program, which officially goes live March 31. OPM is using its existing online platform called Open Opportunities to pair agencies in need with federal employees who want to lend their talents. Currently, the platform is only available to federal employees and agencies.”
“’The COVID-19 Surge Response Program will allow agencies to quickly realign their workforce so they can better accomplish their mission for the American people,’ Acting OPM Director Michael Rigas said in a news release. ‘Dedicated civil servants will be able to go to one place and apply for a mission-critical position to support the public during this National Emergency.’”
“In a follow-up email, an OPM spokesperson told GovLoop that agencies will need a range of skills. ‘We expect to see everything from medical professionals to contracting specialists to many other types of skills across the workforce.’”
“The online platform has been around since 2013, but this will be the first time the federal government has used it for a national emergency situation as massive as the COVID-19 response. ‘We foresee agencies posting details on a rolling basis, and we will make the community live on 3/31,’ according to OPM…” Read the full article here.
Source: OPM Program Pairs Feds With Agencies Seeking COVID-19 Support – By Nicole Blake Johnson, March 30, 2020. GovLoop.