Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Career and Technical Training
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) implemented an enterprise-wide "corporate university" approach in its effort to provide training for professionals in cross-cutting career fields. Cross-cutting fields typically fall under such disciplines as human resources, information technology, budget and finance, public affairs, acquisitions and logistics.
The program called for implementing this training first by identifying existing resources and determining their appropriateness and value, and then designing and developing (or updating) training programs to reach a broad spectrum of VA employees and help improve proficiency in core and job specific competencies.
A featured effort in the launch of this initiative was the organization of the first-of-their-kind VA-wide financial management training conferences, designed to advance employees' careers and encourage professional development. More than 4000 VA finance and accounting employees came together in San Francisco, Nashville and Dallas to take advantage of an impressive array of training.
In support of the VA Career and Technical Training program, DAI:
- Produced training curricula incorporating a variety of learning strategies
- Provided one-on-one consulting to key leaders and executives
- Launched immediate instructor-led "Surge Training" program nationwide
- Led “train the trainer” sessions to ensure consistency of instruction and course materials
- Managed cradle-to-grave event planning, implementation and evaluation
- Branded training materials in an eye-catching and engaging way
- Developed and launched a communications campaign to promote the new training opportunities and build enthusiasm
- Providing unprecedented customer service and assistance to the VA employee base, including help desk support for troubleshooting, and facilitating trouble-free access to help through the use of 800 numbers and email