February 2011 - MSPB Report - Best Competencies For Training

Making The Right Connections: Targeting The Best Competencies for Training – A Report to the President and the Congress of the U.S. by The U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) dated February 2011 just released -
A couple of key highlights from the report:

The MSPB Survey Analysis (MPS 2005) indicates that: “About forty percent of employees reported that they needed training for highly trainable competencies; fifty-seven percent sought training for moderately trainable competencies; and only three percent targeted less trainable competencies. (p. II).

“The study makes five recommendations for decision makers in Federal Agencies:

1. Agencies should track and periodically examine reasons for repeated attempts by Federal employees to learn the same training content.

2. Agencies should encourage use of pre-training preparedness testing, meaningful training prerequisite requirements, and realistic previews of what training covers.
These tools will make it easier for employees and their supervisors to determine whether training is likely to be successful.

3. Agencies should use assessments of training and experience sparingly for selection and promotion decisions. Resumes and job applications will often contain lists of classes taken that may not have produced any competency development. Hiring officials should be especially wary of training experiences that targeted less training competencies.

4. Agencies should focus selection for hiring and promotion on competencies critical to job performance that are less responsive to training as a first priority and important moderately trainable critical competencies as a second priority. If the selection process will not be overburdened by additional testing, agencies may include assessments for critical competencies that highly trainable as a third priority. This strategy appropriately focuses on acquiring abilities through selection that may not be easily developed through training on the job.

5. Agencies should reconsider sending groups of employees from a work unit or larger organizational unit to the same training. Such training for less or moderately trainable competencies may not match the needs, talents, or preparedness of some employees and may not be a good use of agency resources. (p. IV)”

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