Reference Materials
Overview
In addition to the training statute (5 U.S.C. Chapter 41, Training) and regulations (5 CFR 410, Training & 5 CFR 412, Supervisory, Managerial, and Executive Development), we also provide guidance through training fact sheets, memoranda and publications. These additional resources help you:
- Interpret regulations
- Create your specific agency policies
- Answer specific questions about training requirements, and
- Align your agency training programs with the overall mission and goals
Please check back periodically for additions or updates. If you have any questions regarding training policy or executive development, you can contact the Training, Learning and Development Group by sending an email to HRDLeadership@opm.gov.
Fact Sheets
The following are fact sheets that provide further guidance on training and development policy. Please check back periodically for additions or updates.
Certification and Certificate Programs
The purpose of this fact sheet is to assist agencies with planning, implementation, and evaluation and reevaluation of certification and certificate programs.
Continuing Service Agreements
The purpose of this fact sheet is to assist agencies in the development and implementation of their continuing service agreement policies.
Resources for Procuring the Right LMS
The purpose of this fact sheet is to assist agencies in choosing an LMS that best fits an agency's specific needs.
Memorandums
The following are memoranda that have an impact on the Federal Human Resource Development (HRD) community. Please check back periodically for additions or updates.
Educational Benefits For Veterans and Dependents of Active Duty Military
This memo informs agencies of new educational benefits available to employees who are veterans and dependents of service members as a result of the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (Post 9/11 GI Bill).
Final Regulations on Training and Supervisory, Management and Executive Development
This January 2010 memo announces changes made to Federal regulations concerning 5 CFR Part 410 (Training) and 5 CFR Part 412 (Supervisory, Management and Executive Development).
Guidelines for Broadening the Senior Executive Service (SES)
This memo encourages agencies to develop policies and take appropriate actions to ensure continuing development of Senior Executives.
Guidelines for Managerial Development
The purpose of this memo is to assist agencies in meeting several managerial development objectives. These guidelines reflect and support several related efforts focused on Government leadership.
Publications
The following are some of the publications OPM has developed to support the Federal Human Resource Development (HRD) community. Please check back periodically for additions or updates.
Guide to Human Resources Reporting
Federal agencies should rely on this guide to prepare human resources (HR), payroll and training data files. Agencies are responsible for regularly submitting their data files to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and OPM will then load the data into its Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI) data repository.
Training Policy Handbook
We are currently updating the Training Policy Handbook to align it with the revised 5 CFR 410 and 412. Once completed, we will post the revised handbook on the website. We are currently not distributing the draft handbook for use.
Guide for Collection and Management of Training Information
The Guide for Collection and Management of Training Information (the Guide) purpose is to provide the most up-to-date information on required and suggested training data elements. The Guide was developed to assist human resources (HR) professionals and agency program managers who have the responsibility to collect and report on training activities.
Training Evaluation Field Guide
Agencies are required to evaluate their training programs annually to determine how well such plans and programs contribute to mission accomplishment and meet organizational performance goals (5 CFR 410.202). This Training Evaluation Field Guide is designed to assist agency training representatives in evaluating training program effectiveness and in demonstrating training value to stakeholders and decision makers.
Best Practices - Mentoring
This tool was developed to assist agencies in creating a business case for mentoring and as an outline of the critical steps in developing and implementing a formal mentoring program.
Executive Onboarding Framework
This framework was designed to provide a consistent model in which to introduce new executives into the SES and to maximize executive effectiveness. It is a flexible framework allowing adjustments that adhere to specific agency rules, policies, procedures and needs.
Financial Assistance Career Roadmap
Developing a quality financial assistance workforce continues to be a major management challenge in most agencies. There is a need to better define competencies and provide training for grants specialists, program and project managers, policy advisors, financial analysts, and other job series with grants management responsibilities. This comprehensive Financial Assistance Career Roadmap is intended to serve as an informational resource for Federal organizations to guide the career progression of Financial Assistance Management professionals, independent of job series. The CFO Council will soon publish an interactive tool that will allow agencies and individuals to use the Career Roadmap’s different elements as building blocks to customize a version that best fits the needs of their Financial Assistance Management Workforce. Federal agencies will be able to create a Career Roadmap that applies to any position with Financial Assistance Management responsibilities in their agency. OMB’s Office of Federal Financial Management (OFFM) convened subject matter experts from various agencies to develop the Career Roadmap and leveraged content from the Financial Management Career Roadmap, delivered to the CFOC in 2016 as well as the 2012 Leading Executives Driving Government Excellence (EDGE) Grants Management Training Agency Guide.
Grants Management Training Agency Guide
The Grants Management Training Agency Guide aims to ensure that federal employees have the skills and training necessary to effectively and efficiently manage the more than $300 billion in grants the federal government awards annually.
This guide informs federal agencies of the best practices for training grants managers and informs federal employees of the knowledge and skills they need to progress in the field of grants management. The guide also identifies, defines, categorizes, and ranks various competencies-the skills and knowledge that federal agencies seek in their grants managers. The result is a tool that agencies can use to bring their own practices into line with those of the federal community at large. This tool is likewise a resource for federal employees to identify training courses that would benefit them in their current careers or help them obtain the skills and knowledge needed to enter a new career in the field of grants management.
Maximizing Employee Engagement (Instructor-led training course)
This course is designed to provide current and future leaders with education about employee engagement and its relationship to organizational success, financial performance, and employee outcomes such as retention and attraction. This course is highly participatory, integrating job aids, activities, case studies and assessments to enhance interactivity. Please download the course materials below. You may also download Word versions of the materials from the OPM Training and Development Wiki. Prior to completing the Instructor-led training, learners are encouraged to complete the 30 minute Web-based training. The Web-based training course is provided to agencies at no cost on the “Manager’s Corner,” an online portal for all Federal leaders.
Training Materials:
OPM Supervisory and Managerial Frameworks and Guidance
These products provide direction on the development of individuals in supervisory, managerial and executive positions, as well as individuals whom agencies identify as potential candidates for such leadership positions, based on the agencies' succession plans as specified by 5 CFR 412.201. These resources cover both mandatory training and recommended training on leadership competencies and human resources (HR) technical knowledge, important for supervisory and managerial success. The materials also help agencies accomplish the delivery of required training for new supervisors, within one year of an employee's initial appointment to a supervisory position, as well as refresher training to all supervisors and managers at least every three years, as mandated by 5 CFR 412.202. Additionally, the frameworks and guidance include OPM-developed definitions, learning objectives, and evaluation materials to assist agencies in evaluating the effectiveness of their supervisory and managerial development programs.