SECTION 7.15  PERFORMANCE & DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS (PDS)

Last Update:  4/07

There are several resources available to managers and supervisors to help them be successful on the job.  One is Performance & Development Solutions (PDS).  PDS provides educational and training courses for all employees to complement their on-the-job training by providing information on principles, procedures, and techniques.  Supervisors should review the PDS services and course offerings and provide their employees the opportunity to attend suitable courses.

The PDS website contains information about PDS programs and services.  It also lists scheduled workshop dates offered, course descriptions, and costs.  Learning opportunities are available in the following categories:

More information about course offerings, including scheduled course dates, descriptions, and costs, may be found on the PDS website:  http://www.das.hre.iowa.gov/LearnAtPDS/ .

Course Eligibility and Information

Most PDS courses have a notation of recommended eligibility.  It is up to individual agencies to approve or deny course enrollments based on the recommended eligibility.  Codes are as follows:

ALL:  Any state employee is eligible to attend these courses.

E:  Executive:  These courses are designed for division administrators and upper-level executives.

M:  Management:  These courses are designed for those who supervise subordinate classifications, or those who have broad program-management or upper-level administration responsibilities.

S:  Supervisory:  These courses are designed for individuals who have been given the authority by management to direct the work of employees, and to hire, evaluate, reward, promote, transfer, layoff, recall, process grievances, and discipline employees.

Course Enrollment, Notification, and Cancellation

Enrollment

Your department will establish policies and procedures for the internal processing of course registrations.  In addition, the following procedures apply:

·         Request a registration form from your department’s training liaison, or photocopy the registration form found at the back of this chapter

·         Use one form to enroll each employee into one or more courses

·         Provide all requested information

·         Enter the complete course number

·         Sign the form

·         Have the employee sign the form

·         Send the form to your department’s Training Liaison:  http://www.das.hre.iowa.gov/LearnAtPDS/training_liaisons/index.html

Notification

Course notifications including the course title, instructor, date(s), starting and ending times, location, and any required prework will be forwarded to department Training Liaisons for distribution approximately two (2) weeks before the course date.  If forwarded to you, be sure to give it to your employee as soon as possible.  In the event of a course cancellation, PDS will contact Training Liaisons or course enrollees.

Cancellations

Courses Costing $99.00 or Less:  Participant cancellations must be received by PDS at least five (5) working days in advance of the course date.  Enrollees may be excused for personal or job emergencies or illness when these are communicated BY THEIR SUPERVISORS to PDS prior to, or during, the course for which they are enrolled.  Departments can also send replacements to avoid being billed for a cancellation, but please make sure that the information is communicated to PDS for proper billing.

Courses Costing $100.00 or More:  ANY enrollment cancellation received after the course has been confirmed will be billed to your department.  Courses are generally confirmed a minimum of two weeks prior to the course date.  Departments can also send a replacement to avoid being billed for a cancellation, but once again, please make sure that information is communicated to PDS for proper billing.

Attendance

Employees receiving course confirmations are expected to attend the entire course and to complete a course evaluation form.  Participants absent more than 30 minutes in a training session will not receive credit for course attendance.  This will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Reasonable Accommodations

PDS will make whatever reasonable accommodations are necessary to serve state employees with disabilities.  Please notify PDS eight weeks prior to a course date if any special accommodations are needed.  Space is provided on the course registration form to provide this information.

Smoking Policy

Smoking is not permitted in training rooms.

Scheduling Additional Sessions

If you identify a training need that requires customized training or special sessions of existing training, PDS will work with supervisors or managers to obtain the needed training.  This may involve working with current PDS contractors or identifying other training professionals to develop or deliver the needed training.  PDS can arrange sessions to best meet the work group's schedule and to deliver the training in a timely, effective manner.

Certificate Programs

PDS offers five Certificate programs:

·     Achievement

·     Applied Business Series (ABS)

·     Applied Management Series (AMS)

·     Foundations of Government

·     Administrative Assistant

The AMS and Achievement certificate programs are built around four core courses:  Achieving Communication Effectiveness (ACE), Customer Service, Business and Organizational Ethics, and Human Relations Skills.  Participants in the certificate programs can earn multiple certificates without having to retake the core courses.  Once taken, these core courses are transferable between certificates.  Please see the chart below for additional requirements.

All certificate course work must be completed within three years of enrolling in the program.  On completion of all course work, notify your department’s Training Liaison.  PDS then will send you a certificate signed by the Governor and a press release for your local newspaper or department newsletter announcing your accomplishment.

To enroll in a Completion Certificate program:

1)

Complete the appropriate certificate enrollment form.

2)

Complete the course registration form to begin your course work.

3)

Obtain the appropriate signatures.

4)

Submit the certificate enrollment form and course registration form to your department’s Training Liaison.  PDS will send you a letter confirming your enrollment in the certificate program and will return a copy of your certificate enrollment form so that you can keep track of your progress.

5)

Notify your Training Liaison when you have completed your course work.  PDS will verify your course history and send you your certificate and press release.

Applied Management Series

PDS offers a series of six courses that combined with the core courses above make up the Applied Management Series (AMS).  This series of courses offers training to state managers and supervisors in basic personnel management skills.  The courses are:

AMS Courses

Course #

Discipline, Grievances, & the Contracts

NC 901

EEO/AA: Making the Most of Your Workforce

NC 201

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

NC 122

From Interview to Hire: The Successful Search for Talent

NC 301

Investigating Employee Misconduct

NC 118

Performance Evaluation

NC 401

Preventing Sexual Harassment for Supervisors

NC 119

Americans with Disabilities Act

NC 123

If you are a new supervisor interested in enrolling in AMS, please obtain an AMS enrollment form from your training liaison.  Dates and course locations may be found on the PDS website - http://www.das.hre.iowa.gov/LearnAtPDS/index.html.

Iowa Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program

The State of Iowa and Drake University have partnered to offer a CPM program for state employees.  The purpose of the program is to guide public managers to incorporate best-practice management techniques into their everyday management strategies.  The program focuses on professionalizing the practice of public management in much the same way as other occupations.

The CPM program is nationally accredited.  It originated at the University of Georgia’s Institute of Government in 1976.  Since then, the program has grown to include 27 states, of which 25 have received accreditation by the National CPM Consortium.

By completing this program, you will receive:

§         CPM designation

§         Graduate credit through Drake University (optional)

§         One year’s experience in qualifying for some state job classifications

In order for an individual to receive the CPM designation and to receive credit from Drake University, the program must meet certain educational standards.  Therefore, this is an intensive learning experience.  Emphasis in the program is placed on problem solving and teamwork, and builds on the direction established in the Governor’s Leadership Agenda and the Iowa Excellence Initiative.  The CPM faculty is from both the academic and practitioner areas.  The program will include discussion, traditional classroom experiences, and online training.

This program is designed for supervisors, managers, executives, management staff, and project managers from federal, state, county, and local governments.

For more information, visit the website at:  http://www.das.hre.iowa.gov/cpm/about/index.htm

Online Learning:

PDS offers a variety of online learning courses for business and professional development.  You can access the eLearning courses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from home or office.  The eLearning courses available range from a custom library of almost 50 Business Skills Courses and an Office Productivity Library, which contains over 350 computer skills courses.

Online learning is popular worldwide because it can:

§         Reduce travel costs

§         Reduce time away from work stations

§         Reduce time involved to access needed information

§         Increase access to multiple courses

§         Increase ability to view and review information as needed

§         Increase flexibility to take courses at one’s own pace

If you are a supervisor or manager with a minimal budget and are looking for a way to educate and reward your staff, online learning could be the answer.  Allowing your staff to learn or sharpen their skills while on the job helps create educated and satisfied employees.

For more information, please visit http://www.das.hre.iowa.gov/LearnAtPDS/e_learning/index.html, or call (515) 281-5456.

Preparing your Employee for Training

Here is a short guide to assist you in helping your employees get the most out of their training and to ensure that you and your employees are getting your time and money’s worth.

Pre-Training Conversation

A participant will benefit more from attending a training program if you show an interest in his or her participation and talk about the upcoming training together.  Here are some suggestions for this discussion:

a)

Inform the employee of the programs he or she will be attending well in advance and discuss why the employee was chosen to attend.  Ideally, a training plan is in place that details the employee’s training for the year.

b)

Become familiar with the objectives and content of the training courses so you can provide a summary to the employee.

c)

Let the employee know what you expect him or her to gain by attending training.  Relate your expectations to the course objectives, specific job responsibilities, and your organization’s mission.

d)

Ask the employee to think of any workplace situations that may relate to the training.  Doing this will allow the employee to develop an understanding of his or her purpose in training.

e)

Assure the employee that arrangements have been made so he or she may attend the training without unnecessary worries.

f)

Plan on discussing the program when the employee returns.  Show that you are interested in how this training will affect his or her work environment.

Post-Training Conversation

If you want your employees to get the greatest benefit from training, talk to each participant about it once the course is completed.  Schedule time to talk, free from distractions and interruptions.  Here are some suggestions for discussion:

a)

Welcome the employee back.  Ask how he or she feels about the training received and if it measured up to his or her expectations.

b)

Ask the employee to tell you what was learned.

c)

Ask how he or she intends to use this new knowledge or skill (look for concrete suggestions).  Try to get commitments from the employee to apply this information to the job.

d)

Suggest that the employee share worthwhile materials or concepts with the other staff.

e)

If the employee was given postclass assignments, discuss how the ideas from these assignments can be used in your workplace.

f)

Routinely check back with the employee over the following three to six months to make certain that he or she is following through with plans and ideas.  Give the employee responsibility for the knowledge gained through training.

g)

If your employee experienced any difficulty in training, ask him or her to report this directly to you and your department’s Training Liaison.  Urge your employee to include specific reasons why the training was not what was hoped for or expected.  This is valuable and needed information for PDS.  Participant feedback helps us continually improve the programs we offer.