Tag Archives: training

Tips to Getting Your Agency to Say “Yes” to Training

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With the government budget funded at least for the short term, agencies can breathe a small sigh of relief and begin making plans for beyond September 30. While most would agree training is a critical piece of getting and keeping a motivated and informed workforce, it still tends to be an "easy" line item cut especially in times of uncertainty.

Whether you are in charge of setting a training budget or simply seeking to get approval for yourself to attend an event, there are several ways you can work to get the funding you need. Here are a few tips: Continue reading →

Earning Your Letters: Certifications and a Government Career

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As all of our GovEvents readers know, education does not end with the last degree you receive. From on-the-job training to industry events, professionals are constantly learning new things. Learning and career progression are, of course, rewards in themselves, but a certification program is quantifiable and industry-recognized.

Like an educational degree, certifications are an official marker of knowledge study and mastery. While they may add to the alphabet soup that is a government career, having the right letters after your name can make a big difference in what jobs you can apply for and how much you'll get paid.[Tweet "Earning Your Letters: Certifications and a Government Career #GovEventsBlog"] Continue reading →

How Educators Get an Education

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At GovEvents, there are a host of ways professionals can continue their education in their career path of choice. But how do those that teach get their continuing education? Even educators and those in the education community need continuing education (how meta is that?). We've pulled together some of the key events for the education community in the coming months.[Tweet "Key events for the education community #GovEventsBlog"] Continue reading →

The Complexities of Government Acquisition

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Acquisition-it's a complex topic for the government market. Private sector companies must navigate a complex system to make their solutions and services available to government customers. Federal acquisition professionals are working to ease this process and adapt decades old policies to meet the needs of modern technology buys such as cloud and as-a-service offerings. There are also new mandates and government-wide policies like FITARA that IT and procurement personnel have to understand and comply with.  Add to this the fact that the acquisition workforce is in an incredible state of turnover with older professionals retiring and new ones coming in without the guidance of procurement veterans.[Tweet "Acquisition - it's a complex topic for the government market. #GovEventsBlog"]

The ACQUIRE Conference and Expo that took place in June in Washington, DC was designed to help government agencies create, manage, and run successful programs. The conference program offered federal agency-led training sessions, and government & industry thought leadership panels and keynotes. At the event, the Professional Services Council (PSC) issued their biennial Acquisition Policy Survey that more definitively outlined the challenges detailed above. Some of the findings included: Continue reading →

Making Your IDP Count

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IDPs - Individual Development Plans - are designed to help employees define a path forward in their federal career and develop a plan to get there. While for many this feels like a burdensome administrative process, it is a critical exercise that holds employee and manager accountable for job success and satisfaction.

One key element of the IDP is creating an action plan. In addition to setting short (one to three years) and long-term (five to 10 years) goals, employees must also outline the steps needed to achieve those goals. This includes listing job-specific activities, training, and further education. Deadlines are assigned to the goals as well as the tasks associated with them.[Tweet "One key element of the IDP is creating an action plan. #GovEventsBlog"]

Knowing what events and training options are available to support short and long-term goals is a critical part of making an IDP actionable. Having a definitive and substantiated list of needed training and events in an IDP can make the path to attendance and expense approval much smoother. But how do you know which events will really help you meet those goals and where do you find them?[Tweet "Knowing what events/training options are available is critical part of IDP. #GovEventsBlog"] Continue reading →