SHIFT:Shaping How We Invest In Future Talent

LOUISIANA STATE CIVIL SERVICE IS EVOLVING because the needs of our workforce and the citizens we serve are evolving too. Public service is changing — from the skills required on the job to the systems and policies that support how work gets done. To keep pace, we must prepare our people and our agencies not only for today’s challenges but also for the opportunities ahead.

This effort comes together in SHIFT: Shaping How We Invest in Future Talent. SHIFT brings together the progress already made and the changes still to come into one clear direction. SHIFT ensures we are modernizing with purpose, building a workforce that is skilled, supported, and ready to deliver trusted service for Louisiana.

SHIFT IS HERE.

Explore below to see what has already SHIFTed, what is SHIFTing next, and how these changes impact employees, agencies, and job seekers across our state.

WHAT HAS SHIFTed?

Agency Billing Portal

SCS created a custom electronic billing system in which the department invoices and processes payments via an online agency fiscal portal. Internally, SCS Fiscal staff completely controls the process from an internal application, which had previously involved many manual processes and multiple contacts in order to work.

Continuous Performance Managment

As a state, we have transitioned to an electronic performance management system designed to enhance how we measure employee performance and support continuous development. This electronic performance management system enables consistent tracking of goals, feedback, and progress, helping individuals grow into high-performing contributors. By streamlining the workflow, we aim to foster a culture of accountability, growth, and excellence across the state.

Job and Employee Data Inquiry (JEDI)

Interface and LaGov HCM transaction data—once siloed and difficult to access for internal staff—are now combined in one user-friendly tool. JEDI provides customizable Excel exports with 80+ fields of employee information, unlocking access to Interface data in ways that were never possible before. This marks a major step forward: for the first time, SCS staff can easily use Interface transaction data alongside LaGov HCM to support internal analysis and decisions.

Leadership Academy

Built for everyone, available for anyone, this program is designed to help current individual contributors prepare for leadership roles. Completely online and available on demand, the program includes engaging course content, the opportunity to build and showcase a portfolio, and virtual events where participants can learn from high-performing state leaders.

Louisiana Jobs

A strategic shift in how Louisiana recruits and engages talent: the relaunch of the Louisiana Jobs application website with enhanced features that connect job seekers to mission-driven opportunities, the introduction of quarterly system webinars to equip agencies with tools and insights for data-driven hiring decisions, and the implementation of a standardized job posting template to ensure clarity and consistency across state recruitment. Collectively, these initiatives modernize the applicant experience, strengthen agency-level decision-making, and position Louisiana as an employer of choice.

MQ Modernization

A comprehensive review and overhaul of over 1900 minimum qualifications, aligning with HB 566(2024) that aimed to simplify job requirements, broaden applicant pools, and modernize our hiring processes.

Opportunity @ Work National Cohort

Louisiana State Civil Service is proud to represent our state in the inaugural Transformers in the Public Sector national cohort, led by Opportunity@Work and the Volcker Alliance. Through this partnership, we are advancing skills-first hiring practices that remove unnecessary barriers, open doors to STARs (Skilled Through Alternative Routes), and build a stronger, more inclusive public workforce. Our participation ensures Louisiana’s voice and innovation help shape a nationwide movement to modernize how government connects talent to opportunity.

Parental Leave

Effective January 1, 2024, SCS established Rule 11.36 that allows a legal parent of a newborn or the adoptive or foster parent with whom a child under the age of 18 is placed to take up to six weeks (240) hours of paid parental leave.

Recruiting and Outreach Center Redesign

Previously named the Testing and Recruiting Center, this division of SCS was redesigned and reimagined to be the Recruiting and Outreach Center shifting the main focus to proactive recruitment opportunities and consulting with applicants amidst the removal of pre-employment exams in 2024.

Redesigned Veterans Resources

A redesigned Resources for Veterans Information Page was launched to better support service members and veterans seeking employment with the State of Louisiana. The updated page features special messages and videos from state leaders, tools to help veterans translate military experience into state careers, personal stories from veteran employees, and a real-time veteran headcount within state government. This initiative both honored the service of veterans and strengthened Louisiana’s workforce by connecting their skills to meaningful civilian opportunities.

Removal of Pre-employment Exams

Effective January 1, 2024, SCS shifted towards removing barriers into state government by removing most pre-employment exams, leaving only one exam (Protective Services Exam) for law enforcement positions. State agencies now have access to the SCS Hiring Framework, an innovative, competency-based suite of structured recruiting and hiring tools, designed to help agencies enhance the evaluation of an applicant’s knowledge, skills, and abilities.

SCS Hiring Framework

The SCS Hiring Framework is the structured, statewide process SCS created to modernize how the public workforce is recruited, evaluated, and selected. It is designed to move agencies away from traditional hiring and toward skills-based hiring, where applicants can demonstrate readiness through the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed for success.

Targeted Job Assessments

We strategically partnered with agencies to strengthen the State pay plan and classification plan through targeted job assessments. Through this collaboration, we were able to respond to market pressures by increasing pay levels for accountants and establishing consistent Special Entrance Rates that created equity among the major 20 state agencies. These actions not only positioned the State to better compete with the private sector but also reinforced a sustainable, modern pay plan that supports long-term recruitment and retention of critical talent in the accounting field.

WHAT IS SHIFTing?

Compensation Review

SCS is continuously working to modernize our compensation rules and philosophy to provide greater flexibility for Appointing Authorities while remaining responsive to the evolving labor market. This ongoing evaluation by the Compensation Division ensures alignment with today’s workforce needs, promotes fairness and transparency, and supports fiscally responsible pay practices.

Disciplinary Resources

Job Aides and Resources are being updated to include relevant FAQs and user-friendly sample templates designed to help agencies understand the essential components required to initiate a comprehensive disciplinary letter, along with recommended best practices to guide them through the process.

Leadership Transformation

Coming in 2026, this program revolutionizes the state's supervisory training program. A streamlined design concept defines the skills and competencies all supervisors must master. Beyond the basics, supervisors and agencies choose their own learning from close to a dozen different learning paths. This approach provides each supervisor relevant and impactful content that can improve their practice immediately.

Louisiana Learner Leaders Network (3LN)

3LN is a new initiative that invites Learning & Development leaders statewide to synergize, collaborate, and boost the strategic voice of Learning & Development efforts statewide.

OHC Rollout

The OHC rollout is the implementation of the Online Hiring Center (OHC) platform, designed to train HR professionals so they can support and train hiring managers within their agencies. This access allows agencies to fully utilize the features in Louisiana Jobs, powered by NEOGOV, and streamlines the hiring process by enabling online requisition creation, application review, and electronic approvals, ultimately reducing workload, processing time, and paper use.

SCS AI Internal Taskforce

With the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI), SCS has established an AI Internal Taskforce to strategically review and explore applications of AI within our department. This group is focused on identifying innovative, practical, and ethical ways AI can be leveraged to enhance efficiency, decision-making, and service delivery.

State Internship Program

We are developing statewide internship program model to fill a critical gap in how agencies recruit and engage early talent. This proposed model provides a clear, replicable roadmap for agencies to host meaningful internships that connect participants’ experiences to skills and competencies essential for success in Louisiana’s workforce. By aligning internships with both agency needs and long-term talent development, this initiative strengthens our pipeline of future public servants and ensures a more prepared, mission-driven workforce.



SHIFT impacts everyone. Explore below to see what it means for you.



State Employees

SHIFT builds on the improvements you’ve already helped create—from clearer policies to better tools and stronger collaboration. For employees, it means clear expectations, better hiring practices, stronger support, and more opportunities to grow and be recognized.


State Agencies

SHIFT is not about changing direction. It brings progress into one unified path that strengthens every agency. For HR professionals and leaders, it means support to guide change, build stronger teams, and prepare for what’s ahead. SHIFT provides clearer frameworks to recruit, hire, and develop employees, with aligned tools and policies that reduce duplication, streamline processes, and make daily work more efficient.

Job Seekers

SHIFT isn’t about closing doors, it's about opening them wider. For job seekers across Louisiana, including those skilled through alternative routes, SHIFT means more access and clearer pathways into public service.

  • No more preemployment testing
  • Job postings are clearer, so applicants know what to expect and how to prepare
  • All relevant experience counts, even if it wasn’t gained through a traditional job
  • Degrees are no longer required for over 90% of classified positions
  • Proactive recruitment support is available through the Recruiting & Outreach Center, where staff help connect people to opportunities and provide guidance on how to qualify

SHIFT puts skills at the center, so more people can demonstrate their readiness to serve. It connects talent to opportunity and helps build a workforce that reflects the strengths of Louisiana’s people.


How can I become part of the SHIFT momentum?

You can be part of SHIFT by sharing the one-pager that helps your agency understand and champion the "why" behind this transformation.

From there, you can expand your impact by connecting with the Louisiana Learning Leaders Network (3LN) or becoming certified to deliver SHIFT-aligned courses through CPTP-Teach.



3LN

Join the Louisiana Learning Leaders Network (3LN)

Connect with other agency leaders shaping talent development. Share insights, explore collaboration, and strengthen the future of learning across state government.

Contact Dr. Dana LeBherz at dana.lebherz@civilservice.la.gov with inquiries.


3LN

Become a TeachCPTP Facilitator

Help grow our public workforce by delivering CPTP courses at your agency. Apply to become a certified trainer and tailor content to meet your agency’s needs.

Current state employees who have significant training duties, and two years of facilitation experience are welcome to apply here: https://forms.office.com/g/xvAELNVr8Y