Scientific and Technical Employee Development (STED)

The objective of the Scientific and Technical Employee Development (STED) Committee is to provide guidance, recommendations, and tools for employee development within the Water Mission Area. Guidance and recommendations are provided to the Associate Director for Water, the Water Senior Staff, and the Office of Organizational and Employee Development to ensure that employees have the necessary technical skills to:

• ensure the scientific excellence of the water resources programs within the USGS,
• meet the challenges of new science directions, and
• accomplish the mission of the USGS.

Employee development includes providing opportunities for individuals to improve employee performance and enhance skills and capabilities that will assist them in maximizing their full potential and achieving USGS mission objectives. The mission of the STED Committee is to provide the leadership necessary to guide the design and maintenance of a coordinated scientific and technical employee development program for WMA staff. The Committee works closely with the OED to meet this objective.

HISTORY

The Employee Development Committee (EDC) was initiated in 1999 through WRD Memo 99.36 (September 27, 1999), and replaced the former Technical Training Committee. During the first 2 years, the committee focused on short-term and long-term strategic goals, and worked closely with the newly created Office of Organizational and Employee Development, providing ideas and serving as a sounding board for a number of new initiatives. As described in Memo 99.36, the committee focused on the design of a leadership development program, exploration of alternative approaches to training, design of EDNA (Employee Development Needs Assessment), new employee orientation, graduate school training, and other related topics. Many of the original short-term and long-term goals of the WMA EDC have been achieved, and in more recent years there has been a need to redirect the committee's functions.

In 2001, a Bureau-level Employee Development Committee was discussed at length, and the exact role of the Water EDC was debated. In 2002, the Associate Director for Water reaffirmed the need for a Water EDC to provide guidance for employee development within the Water discipline to ensure the continuance of the USGS as a world leader in water science. The primary focus of the committee was to be on technical and scientific training within the Water Mission Area. In recognition of the need for technical guidance from a national perspective, the EDC membership was modified in 2002 to include one individual from each of the three Water Mission Area Technical offices (OGW, OSW, OWQ). In addition to the change in membership composition, the Water Senior Staff recommended the name of the committee be changed to better reflect the committee's purpose. The committee name was changed to the Scientific and Technical Employee Development Committee (STED). The current membership represents elements of the former EDC and the former Technical Employee Development Committee, providing input, direction, and leadership for the Water Mission Area from a cross-section of the Water population including the technical discipline offices (national level), district management, researchers, section chiefs (studies and data), technicians, computer functions, and representation from OED.

STED welcomes your advice or recommendations to help the committee better serve you.