This report  can provide a starting point for agencies to use to build on the experiences  and lessons learned by the five agencies we reviewed as part of their efforts  to design and develop training and development programs. II for  a description of the five agencies included in this study.) 3). Officials said that their agencies have transitioned, or are in the process of  transitioning, to more comprehensive, consistent planning approaches. IRS involved key stakeholders and benchmarked with other organizations  in developing its leadership competency model In working to build its leadership development program in the wake of the  IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, IRS officials believed they  needed a leadership competency model that was based directly on the  work of IRS's business units. Projecting costs and benefits of proposed training and development  programs was a challenge for the five agencies. They usually developed  broad information on anticipated benefits and expected costs, often  without tying anticipated benefits to specific performance improvements  or considering all costs related to the training program. Agencies’ Lessons Learned in Developing Strategies and Solutions for Their Training Needs

Agency officials have encountered a variety of challenges in their efforts to  design training programs to meet the developmental needs of their  employees. Within each of the 21 regional networks, an  Education Service Representative acts as a liaison in coordinating  numerous developmental programs with VHA headquarters—sharing  information with their counterparts about effective practices and  identifying areas of possible duplication or inconsistency across VHA. USACE’s training center conducts pre- and post-tests on  over 90 percent of the courses it offers and is working toward the goal of  using such tests for all courses. Determining  methods for evaluating training programs as part of their design can help  identify and remove obstacles to successful implementation. Lesson learned:  Plan for the use of multiple data types and sources  to provide a balanced approach in assessing the effectiveness of  training and development programs. According to training  center officials, the results of this course evaluation are assembled with the  end-of-course participant survey feedback and pre- and post-testing results  to present a comprehensive and balanced view of the effectiveness of the  training program. Interior, IRS, and  OPM provided written comments on the draft report. IV), Interior’s Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife  and Parks generally agreed with the report’s findings regarding the  Department and the FWS. VI), the Director of OPM said that she  appreciated the opportunity for OPM to be included in the report and to  share information on OPM’s training and development activities and  programs. USACE informed us that it had no comments on the draft report. Specifically, we  focused on the agencies’ experiences and lessons learned related to   assessing current and future agency skill and competency requirements  and identifying related training and development needs,  developing strategies and solutions for training and development needs,   determining methods to evaluate the effectiveness of training and  development programs. To address this objective we focused on five agencies: the U.S. Army Corps  of Engineers (USACE), Department of Defense; the U.S. Fish & Wildlife  Service (FWS), Department of the Interior; the Internal Revenue Service  (IRS), Department of the Treasury; the U.S. Office of Personnel  Management (OPM); and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA),  Department of Veterans Affairs. To obtain information about the five agencies’ experiences and lessons  learned related to designing training and development programs, we   Interviewed agency human capital and training officials and subject  matter experts responsible for agency training, performance, and other  initiatives; and  Reviewed and analyzed agency documents such as workforce plans,  analyses, and reports; strategic, performance, and succession plans and  reports; organizational, occupational, and unit-based competency  standards; knowledge and skills inventories; skills gaps assessments;  competency and skill assessments; surveys of agency employees;  training plans and proposals; workforce demographic data; budget data;  evaluation plans and reports; and performance measures.
Why GAO Did This Study

Effective training and development programs are an integral part of a learning environment, helping improve federal workforce performance in achieving agency results. Therefore, in this report GAO was asked to identify examples of selected federal agencies' experiences and some of the key lessons they have learned in designing their training and development programs. This work focused on ways that these agencies (1) assessed agency skills gaps and identified training needs, (2) developed strategies and solutions for these training and development needs, and (3) determined methods to evaluate the effectiveness of training and development programs. GAO worked with five agencies to identify their experiences and lessons learned: the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Department of Defense; Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Department of the Interior (Interior); Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of the Treasury; the Office of Personnel Management (OPM); and Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Agency officials provided information during interviews and furnished supporting documentation for analysis and review.

What GAO Found

GAO identified important lessons learned from five federal agencies' experiences in designing training and development programs for their employees that could be useful to other agencies facing similar challenges. These lessons learned are related to the following three areas. Assessing Agency Skill Requirements and Identifying Training Needs: The agencies used a variety of approaches to assess current and future skill requirements, such as implementing workforce planning models and conducting knowledge and skills inventories. Generally, the agencies are transitioning to more comprehensive approaches. One of the lessons learned was to involve stakeholders and benchmark with others to identify critical skills and competencies and related training needs. For example, IRS officials believed they needed a leadership competency model directly based on the work of their agency's business units. To develop a comprehensive model, they interviewed top IRS leaders and benchmarked with leading practices in the public and private sector. Developing Strategies and Solutions for Training Needs: The agencies considered a mixture of delivery mechanisms, as well as potential sources for training and development opportunities. However, projecting costs and benefits of proposed training and development programs presented challenges for them. The agencies usually developed broad information on anticipated benefits and expected costs of potential investments, although often without tying benefits to specific performance improvements or considering all costs. One of the lessons learned was to establish mechanisms to avoid duplication or inconsistencies. Education Service Representatives in each regional VHA network, for example, coordinate training and development programs with headquarters--sharing information about successful practices and identifying areas where coordination is needed. Determining Methods for Evaluating Training Programs: Overall, the agencies relied primarily on participants' end-of-course evaluations, but they are beginning to use more comprehensive evaluation approaches, including limited use of return-on-investment analysis techniques. One of the lessons learned is to plan for the use of multiple data types and sources in order to attain a balanced assessment once the course is implemented. For example, USACE's training center incorporated pre- and post-tests on over 90 percent of its courses, as well as approaches to collect participants' and course managers' feedback, as part of the design. Four of the five agencies provided comments on a draft of this report. Interior and VA said that they generally agreed with the report's findings regarding their respective agencies. IRS and OPM said that they appreciated the opportunity to be included in the report and to share information on training activities. USACE provided no comments on the draft report.