Official Touts Agriculture Department’s Data Science Training Program

A data literacy initiative within the U.S. Department of Agriculture is growing, according to a senior Food and Nutrition Service executive.

Chris Rottler, the FNS’ chief data officer, said his agency’s Data Science Training Program has become part of USDA’s upskilling strategy, Federal News Network reported Monday.

He added that the initiative is seeing “a huge demand to participate” throughout the department.

In an interview with Federal News Network, Rottler explained that the Data Science Training Program began as a pilot within FNS. The initiative officially launched after an assessment revealed skills gaps across the USDA’s data workforce.

According to Rottler, FNS crafted custom training to teach employees how to handle data science tools in the USDA’s Enterprise Data Analytics Platform.

The department’s data strategy through fiscal year 2027 prioritizes upskilling its data and analytics workforce.

Fredy Diaz, USDA’s deputy chief data officer, shared that the department’s CDOs are working with the new Digital Service unit to develop the internal information technology workforce.