Upward Mobility Program

951.1

Chapter 2. Components of the Upward Mobility Program

2-1. Characteristics of the Upward Mobility Program.

The Upward Mobility Program is different from other

employee development programs in that employees must

compete for entry. Employees have an opportunity to

apply for positions with increased career potential

based on their potential demonstrated by previous job

performance.

2-2. Movement into the Upward Mobility Program.

HUD uses both crossover and bridge approaches to

achieve its Upward Mobility goals.

Crossover.

The crossover approach is most widely used

throughout HUD. It is used to move trainees

directly into vacancies in the target occupational

series. The trainee or entry level position is a

scaled down/restructured position in the same

occupational series as the ultimate target position

and is usually at two grade intervals (i.e. GS-5,

GS-7, GS-9). Entry into trainee positions requires

competition in accordance with HUD\'s Merit Staffing

Policy and Negotiated Bargaining Agreement.

Trainees selected for program participation enter

the positions by reassignment or downgrade.

Trainees receive intensive on-the-job and classroom

training and after successful completion of

prescribed training (6 months to 2 years), trainees

are promoted or reassigned non-competitively to the

target position.

Bridging.

The bridge approach requires the use of transitional

positions between a one-grade interval occupational

series and the target two grade interval

occupational series. The bridge functions as an

interim technician or para professional job

generally combining duties of a clerical or support

position with tasks extracted from the target

professional or administrative position. For the

purpose of this handbook, the term \"professional

position\" means an administrative two-grade interval

position and not the Office of Personnel

Management\'s (OPM) definition of \"professional

position\" with reference to a position with a

positive education requirement.

Entry into bridge positions requires competition in

accordance with HUD Merit Staffing Policy. Trainees

receive on-the-job and classroom training and assume

progressively more responsible duties. After six

months of successful performance, providing time-in-

grade restrictions have been met and upon the

supervisor\'s recommendation, the trainee is non-

competitively promoted to the next level bridge

position (one-grade interval) and after one

additional year, the trainee is promoted to the

target position (two grade interval). At this

point, the trainee is no longer considered an Upward

Mobility trainee.

2-3. Characteristics of Upward Mobility Positions.

Positions which benefit the program\'s objective best

will have the following characteristics:

Have very little or no significant representation of

minorities, women, or individuals with disabilities,

including disabled veterans;

Are occupations which generally provide a high

potential for career advancement;

Do not have positive education requirements (that is,

do not require a college or advanced degree);

Have significant turnover or are likely to have

regularly recurring vacancies; and

Are amenable to position restructuring to create

trainee positions at or below the usual entry level;

or already have positions that may be filled at the

trainee level from among the current work force.

2-4. Targeted Occupational Groups.

The Upward Mobility Program is restricted to positions

which do not have positive education requirements. The

occupational series annotated with an asterisk contain

some positions which have positive educational

requirements and, therefore, are excluded from the

Upward Mobility Program.

GS-000 Miscellaneous Occupational Group

GS-100 Social Science, Psychology and Welfare Group

GS-200 Personnel Management and Industrial

Relations Group

GS-300 General Administrative

GS-500 Accounting and Budget Group\*

GS-800 Engineering and Architecture Group\*

GS-900 Legal and Kindred Group\*

GS-1000 Information and Arts Group

GS-1100 Business and Industry Group

GS-1300 Physical Science Group\*

GS-1400 Library and Archives Group\*

GS-1500 Mathematics and Statistical Group\*

GS-1600 Equipment, Facilities and Service Group

GS-1700 Education Group\*

GS-1800 Investigating Group

GS-2000 Supply Group

GS-2100 Transportation Group

2-5. Identifying Trainee and Target Positions.

The immediate supervisor is the best person to

determine if a present or anticipated vacancy should be

filled through the Upward Mobility Program. The

designation of new positions should be made annually as

a part of work force planning for the coming fiscal

year. However, decisions to fill such positions may be

made at any time, as vacancies occur. The following

should be considered when identifying trainee and

target positions:

Assessment.

The assessment of an organization should include the

following steps:

Analyze current and projected staffing patterns and

turnover to estimate the number and occupational

series of anticipated vacancies, and when they

will be filled;

Review the Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment

Program (FEORP) Plan to determine which

occupations have been listed for targeted

recruitment activities;

Identify common career paths and impediments to

movement across and advancement within

occupational series/lines; and

Review bargaining unit agreements to ascertain the

possible impact of the agreement on the Upward

Mobility Program.

Planning.

If a decision is made to establish an Upward

Mobility position, important areas of concern will

be ceiling, job restructuring, and identification of

the needed knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Management is encouraged to use regular permanent

ceiling when initially appointing Upward Mobility

trainees, and to consider the following needs of the

organization:

The need to satisfy future staffing requirements

(3-5 years distant) by means of staffing choices made

today;

The need to avoid a top heavy grade profile immune

to incentives;

The workload in the Office (will it hinder or

support accomplishment of the training program);

and

The availability of training resources within the

organization (e.g., a journey level specialist,

who can assist in providing on-the-job training).