2012 Voyagers Application Information 

2012 Voyagers Application Information 

The ACT-IAC Voyagers Program is a leadership development program for "rising stars" in government and industry with high potential for future advancement. This will be the seventh class for this leadership development program and will build on its past success and that of the ACT-IAC Partners Program.  The objective of the program is to prepare mid-level managers for their future roles in industry and government. Each prospective program participant must be nominated by his or her respective company or agency sponsor, complete this application, and be selected for the program by a panel of senior executives from government and industry.

A Government participant should:

·         Be a federal employee (Grade 11-13) who is involved with IT management, program implementation, development, or acquisition.  Newly-promoted GS-14s will also be considered.

·         Have a well-rounded background in their discipline and/or career within their agency.

·         Be considered a “rising star” in his or her agency.

·         Be unencumbered by long-term and/or time-consuming commitments, such as graduate programs, military service, or sabbaticals.

·         Be willing to dedicate one or two days per month for ACT-IAC Voyager activities between September 2011 and June 2012.

An Industry participant should: 

·         Be recognized as a mid-level leader working as a project manager, contracting specialist, customer service representative, or other key role in their respective IAC member company. 

·         Have seven plus years of relevant experience.

·         Have experience across a broad range of business activities, including program/project management, financial management, procurement, or marketing.

·         Be unencumbered by long-term and/or time-consuming commitments, such as graduate programs, military service, or sabbaticals.

·         Be willing to dedicate one or two days per month for ACT-IAC Voyager activities between September 2011 and June 2012.

Course Curriculum

Both Industry & Government participants will complete a set of requirements as part of a personal program or “Flight Plan” during the program (September to June) which will include:

• Developing educational sessions to discuss a leadership challenge around the five government Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs).  Four Voyagers will work as a “Flight Crew” to develop the learning objectives and find subject matter experts for a predetermined leadership topic which will be presented to the class in a 2 hour trusted, collaborative educational session.    
• Attending all the scheduled morning education panels (once a month for 5 months).
• Attending one ACT-IAC (or other association) meeting with your co-pilot.
• Having at least one lunch with your Voyager co-pilot outside of other required meetings.
• Attending both Voyager Offsite events (3 days each in November and April).
• Attending both ACT-IAC Fellows educational/mentoring events.
• Selecting a mentor from the Fellows Community and meet with them once a month.
• Meeting twice during the Program year with your Program Group/Flight Crew outside of scheduled events to plan for programs.
• Be an active participant at the Management of Change Conference (MOC) in May, 2012 (cost for conference and two nights lodging included in the program training fee).

ACT-IAC 2011-2012 Voyagers Program Calendar

Once selected, government participants will be asked to contribute a one-time registration fee of $4,295.  The fee for industry participants will be $4,795.   This fee will cover all the costs of the program, including the costs for food, lodging and programming for two local (driving distance) off-site meetings, 6 2-3 hour educational programs and team-building events. The tuition also includes conference registration fee and two nights lodging at ACT’s Management of Change Conference (within driving distance). 

Application Schedule:

Deadline:       All applications are to be uploaded to the website no later than 5pm on Friday, August 5th 2011.

Notification:   All candidates will be notified of the results of the selection process no later than the end of August. 

Application Review Process

General Considerations in the Review Process

The following areas of consideration will be used as a basis for review and selection.  These areas are divided between quantitative and qualitative factors that are a part of the criteria for evaluation and selection:

Quantitative

• Identification of career progression and potential promotion (education, position, years of  experience, opportunity) relative to years within company or agency 
• Determination of recent industry/government switch (< 2 years) that may warrant candidate reconsideration.  (Since the program is focused on understanding the industry/government environment, a candidate who has recently switched may not gain as much from the program.) 

Qualitative

·         Sponsor letter that comes from direct supervisor/executive within the applicant organization acknowledging approval for financial and time commitments for the partner applicant.

·         Content of the applicant’s responses to the written questions including responses that relate to program comprehension, the value of the Voyagers Program, their individual contribution and benefit anticipated from the Voyager program, successful response to significant career challenge, as well as situational awareness of the most pressing issues facing the federal government and the applicant’s recommendations. 

Additional Considerations in the Submission Process

·         Due to the competitive nature of the Voyagers Program, only one applicant per industry member-company may be submitted.  If more than one application is received, then all applications will be sent to the official company POC so that one applicant may be selected and resubmitted for consideration.

·         In the event that multiple applications are received from a Government agency, all applications will be reviewed and scored.  No more than the top two will be accepted into the program and the selection committee has the ability to limit the selection to only the top candidate in order to diversify agency participation.

·         This program is geographically based in the Greater Washington DC area and requires participation in all planned and unplanned activities to maximize the value of the Program.  Applicants from outside of the Washington DC area are advised, that in addition to attending the planned events, that they may be required to be in Washington DC multiple times a month to properly interact with their Partner and their Partners class for ad hoc Program meetings.