Public Sector Training

 As I wrote in a previous post, I am working on an assignment that requires me to visit various county departments and learn about their needs from a Learning Management System (LMS). An LMS tracks all the training employees in the county have completed and must complete. Blackboard is considered an LMS. An LMS can include other features due to the advancement of technology, but the main function the county requires  of an LMS is the tracking of training of all employees. After visiting other departments, I always leave with a sense of whoa (I don't know how else to explain it) because training can be complicated and messy. For example, Maricopa County Public Health-WIC must complete training requirements set by the federal and state government. Public Health-WIC is mandated by the state to track training in one system, but the county tracks training in another. The number of hours in training for each employee is very high and the information is very repetitive. However, mandated training at the courts is intense. "Our biggest [training] customer is the courts," my supervisor says because attorneys, sheriff deputies, and other court/law enforcement employees have federal, state, and county training requirements and a mandated number of hours to meet in training as well. 

Training employees is very important, especially in the public sector because the customer is everyone. It may seem frustrating for some employees who have to attend training, but the goal is to ensure they are provided the tools to assist the public and enforce policy. The Office of Vital Records is a state-run department, but the county also issues birth and death certificates as well as marriage licenses. The rules establishing eligibility are set forth by the state legislature and the county must ensure their employees are knowledgeable about these standards of eligibility. A lot of the training is specific to the department and deals with policy. I think this project is providing me a new outlook on HR and employee training.