Chapter 5 - Classification Issues

Each agency must submit a Dual Career Ladder policy to the Civil Service Commission for approval prior to use.   All policies should include the following:

 

• Program goals and expectations.

 

• Performance standards for employees eligible to enter the program. At present, Civil Service mandates that eligible employees achieve a PPR rating of at least 3.5 (“Meets Requirements”) for the two rating periods immediately prior to assumption of the DCL position. Although only one element of the qualifying criteria, the PPR rating is a useful indicator of an applicant’s prior work effort and output. While this figure is acceptable, we urge agencies to apply a higher PPR standard of at least 4.0 to ensure a higher average quality of candidate and thus protect the more exclusive nature of the DCL concept. Agencies are encouraged to fill DCL slots with employees that not only meet the minimum requirements, but hopefully exceed them.

 

• Selection procedures to move employees into DCL titles. While Civil Service does allow reallocations into DCL positions during the first year of usage, we would expect all further DCL vacancies to be filled competitively.  Competitive details are permitted, as long as the detail is not used to meet minimum qualification requirements. All employees competitively detailed into a DCL position should already qualify for that position prior to appointment.

 

• Supplemental qualification requirements for each position encompassed by the program. Agencies should describe the specific duties that are to be performed in positions meriting DCL consideration. Such duties, or the skills required, should be distinct and of a higher level than those of a comparable staff position, in accordance with the Civil Service job specification for the DCL title in question.

 

• The scope of intended DCL use, including the location and number of DCL positions. While DSCS permits agencies to fill up to 20% of positions in an eligible field (including management), or 25% of staff positions (those below the supervisory and managerial levels) as DCL jobs, we again encourage agencies to limit their use of DCL titles in order to prevent dilution of the concept should it be spread across too many employees as a means of using the full 20% allowance, rather than as a true reflection of DCL-specific duties being performed within the agency. Agencies my find that their mission supports the establishment of only enough DCL jobs to constitute 5% of a given field (for instance 5 engineers allocated at the DCL level within an eligible employee pool of 100 positions, including management).
 

 

• Program assessment procedures and reports.