StayGuard Survey System
U.S. Army National Guard (ARNG)
Since 2004, ICF, —in partnership with Mind and Media—has been collaborating with the National Guard Bureau on the development and implementation of a strategic, integrated research effort to inform ARNG recruitment and retention efforts. The cornerstone of this research initiative is a comprehensive, automated, Web-enabled system for the housing, management, analysis, and reporting of survey data. The StayGuard Survey Analysis and Reporting Tool currently encompasses four ARNG surveys—three scannable paper surveys and one on-line survey. Two additional on-line surveys will be added to the system in the near future.
To date, ICF has developed a family of ARNG retention/attrition-related surveys, provided extensive survey support services to facilitate data management and optimal use of the survey data, and conducted qualitative studies. In support of the surveys, ICF programs, hosts, and houses the ARNG survey databases; develops automated report generation capabilities and generates reports; develops interactive, Web-based query capabilities; and performs cross-survey analyses as requirements are identified. 
Lender Surveys
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
The mission of the VA Loan Guaranty Service is to help veterans and active-duty personnel purchase and retain homes in recognition of their service to our nation. To accomplish this mission, the VA Home Loan Program is administered by the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) through nine Regional Loan Centers. The VBA gathers satisfaction data from a representative sample of veterans who received a VA Home Loan (Veteran Satisfaction Survey), lenders who used the program to solidify a home loan for qualified program participants (Lender Satisfaction Survey), and disabled veterans who used the Specially Adapted Housing program to adapt their home to their special needs (Specially Adapted Housing Survey).
ICF is concurrently conducting all three surveys, including updating the three survey questionnaires, drawing a representative sample of veterans and lenders for each respective survey, developing a report automation system to generate and submit reports, and conducting informal and formal briefings of the results to VBA leadership. Additional activities include conducting cognitive labs and summarizing results, drawing stratified random samples, revising and finalizing the survey mailing materials and questionnaires, managing the toll-free telephone assistance lines, and hosting the live Web surveys.
Study of Entry-Level Transportation Construction
Workforce Shortages
Florida Department of Transportation
The growth in the need for transportation construction workers in the state of Florida has outpaced the growth in available workers. To determine the causes of and potential remedies for the existing and projected entry-level transportation construction workforce shortages, ICF is reviewing and analyzing the job choice and selection literature to understand the factors that contribute to job choice decisions, conducting a “policy capturing” study with high school students likely to be part of the unskilled labor market to capture their "policies" on what they look for when they choose a job, and collecting information on best practices in marketing and recruiting for unskilled construction jobs. These methods have complimentary strengths and, when used together, can create the most accurate and complete picture of the workforce shortage issues and potential solutions.
Constable Job Analysis
Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD)
The PCCD was concerned that its constable training curriculum did not prepare constables for the tasks that they are required to perform on the job. While there is a master list of tasks that constables are permitted by law to perform, they may actually perform very different tasks depending on their geographic location in the state and the rural, suburban, or urban nature of their county. To determine the tasks that should be included in the curriculum, ICF conducted background literature and information reviews and developed a database containing draft constable tasks and knowledge, skill and ability (KSA) statements, and potential educational and training requirements. ICF also conducted observations and held stakeholder meetings to refine task and KSA statements for use in a state-wide job analysis questionnaire. After analyzing the questionnaire data and collecting follow-up data, ICF developed training curricula guidelines and potential methodologies for tasks and KSAs that must be trained/assessed, as well as ratings of proficiencies needed for each task and KSA.
Employment, Compensation, Hiring, and Benefits Study
Department of Human Resources, San Francisco, California
The current classification system for the city and county of San Francisco was established in 1900 and currently contains more than 1,300 individual classifications. As a result, core human resources functions such as assessment and selection, compensation, and succession planning are difficult and time consuming to conduct. The San Francisco Department of Human Resources selected ICF to review and revise the Department’s job classification plan and procedures, and develop tools, methodologies, and databases that support the implementation of the revised plan. To complete this project, ICF conducted a thorough needs assessment of city managers to identify the major challenges presented by the current classification system and developed tools to help address these challenges. In addition, ICF is creating a database to assist classifiers in systematically analyzing position requirements. |
