The last 2014 issue of The Public Manager has a smorgasbord of topics to help government leaders tackle the immediate challenges facing the workforce and prepare for future trends.

The articles in this issue examine the state of mind of government workers, the tools and resources emerging to help sustain the government workforce, and trends that will affect government workers in the future. Andrew Marshall and Natalie Elghossain explore trust in government and the link between trust and productivity. Articles from Cynthia S. Mazur on the coaching revolution in government and from Timothy D. Howell on filling the knowledge gap give readers key information on how to develop leaders, motivate employees, and assess employee skills.

A Q&A with Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez highlights the need to create workforce development programs that can help match skills to job needs that exist today. Kristen Fyfe-Mills explores federal job training programs that can "train Americans with the skills employers need, and match them to good jobs that need to be filled right now."

The Forum offers insights from many angles on ways to transform the acquisition system to reflect both today's changed business environment and tomorrow's challenges, including how to optimize the process and best use outside support. The changing demographics in the workforce will have fundamental impacts on the acquisition workforce, writes Stan Soloway in his article on page 29. "The federal acquisition workforce is trending younger than it has in decades. ... How we develop the new generations in the workforce will shape the face of acquisition for decades to come."

The public-sector workforce is in the midst of major change. You need to stay abreast of these changes and understand how we build a bridge to the new generation of workers, address the challenges that come with globalization and digitization, and tackle the skills gap widening at an alarming rate.

The articles in this issue will help you sort out some of these trends and challenges. Don't be afraid of change; embrace it.

Paula Ketter

Editor, The Public Manager

[email protected]