• TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
• TRAINING POLICY AND PROGRAMS
• TRAINING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

The Government Employees Training Act, which became law on July 7, 1958, is the governmentwide authority for the training of Federal employees (Title 5, United States Code, Chapter 41). The Act recognizes the importance of self-developmental efforts of Federal employees and declared it to be necessary and desirable in the public interest that self-education, self-improvement, and self-training by such employees be supplemented and extended by government-sponsored programs. The purpose of government human resource development programs is to assist in achieving an agency's mission and performance goals by improving employee and organizational performance.

The basic authority was reinforced by Executive Order 11348 which states that it is the policy of the United States to develop its employees through the establishment and operation of progressive and efficient training programs, thereby improving public service, increasing efficiency and economy, building and retaining a workforce of skilled and efficient employees, and installing and using the best modern practices and techniques in the conduct of government's business. Executive Order 11491 added the requirement to train personnel and management officials in labor management relations. The Equal Employment Opportunity Act (1972) required the establishment of training and education programs to provide maximum opportunity for employees to advance so as to perform at their highest potential. The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 addressed the development of candidates for the Senior Executive Service and the continuing development of senior executives.

The responsibility for the training is shared by the employees, the supervisor, agency management, and the agency training and development office.

TRAINING POLICY AND PROGRAMS

Human resource development programs are administered to ensure that the selection of employees for training is made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or other factors unrelated to the need for training. These procedures also guard against the use of training facilities which restrict access because of a disabling condition or discriminate on the basis of the above criteria.

Human resource development programs may be authorized to:

• Orient employees to the Federal service, their agencies and organizational assignments, and conditions of employment.
• Guide new employees to effective performance during their probationary period.
• Provide knowledge and skills to improve job performance.
• Prepare employees with demonstrated potential for increased responsibility in meeting future staffing requirements.
• Provide continuing professional/technical training to avoid knowledge/skill obsolescence (e.g., keeping the skills of scientists, doctors, engineers, lawyers, registered nurses, computer programmers, procurement specialists, plumbers, electricians, and clerical employees current).
• Implement reorganizations, changing missions, and administration initiatives.
• Develop the managerial workforce focusing on competencies identified as essential to effective performance at supervisory, managerial, and executive levels (e.g., communication, interpersonal skills, human resource management, technology management, financial management, planning and evaluation, and vision).
• Provide training leading to an academic degree if necessary to assist in the recruitment or retention of employees in occupations in which there are existing or anticipated shortages of qualified personnel, especially in those areas requiring critical skills.
• Provide for the career transition, training, and/or retraining of employees displaced by downsizing and restructuring.

Meeting Training Needs. Human resource development needs are met by:

• Planned work experience, details, and developmental assignments.
• On-the-job training.
• Training and education provided through agency facilities, other government facilities, and nongovernment facilities.
• Coaching and mentoring.
• Self-study.

Emphasis is placed on using the most economical means available to satisfy agency needs for performance improvement. Interagency training is used instead of internal training when this would result in better training, improved service, or savings to the government.

Determining Training Needs and Program Administration. Each agency is required by law to have a process in place for determining its performance improvement needs and for administering its human resource development program. A typical process might include the following:

• Identifying the required or desired performance of the agency, organizational unit, occupational group, or individual employee;
• Determining the difference between the required or desired performance and the actual or current performance;
• Exploring the causes or reasons for the performance gap and determining if the required or desired level of performance should be attained through training or other methods, such as modifying systems and work procedures;
• Evaluating information derived from the assessment of training needs and using the findings to make decisions about human resource development investments;
• Involving management and employees at all levels in the planning and implementing human resource development activities; and
• Integrating training with other human resource management functions and operating systems activities, as appropriate.

TRAINING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS