Page Revision: 9/17/2012 11:32:01 AM
Federally Mandated Training
Federally Mandated Training, as defined on the Standard Form (SF) 182 Authorization, Agreement and Certification of Training, is “mandatory training for all employees Governmentwide”, or in some cases, groups of employees across Federal agencies and departments. “This includes training mandated by Executive order, Federal statute, or regulation such as computer security awareness (5 CFR 930.301-305), ethics (5 CFR 2638.703 and 704), and training for managers and supervisors (5 CFR 412.202).”
Below is a chart listing mandatory training for Federal employees. The legal citation is referenced for each topic. Note: If contractors use Government computers, they must complete agency-sponsored IT Security Awareness training. Other Federally mandated training courses are voluntary for contractors unless there is language in their contracts that requires them to complete these courses (5 CFR 930.301(1). Please see the “Training of Contractors” section of this handbook for more information.
Listed below are two types of Federally Mandated training:
- Mandatory Training for all Federal Employees
- Mandatory Training for specific groups of employees (e.g., supervisors)
Mandatory Training for all Federal Employees | Legal Citation | Frequency |
No FEAR Act – Agencies are required to develop training on the rights and remedies applicable to agency employees regarding antidiscrimination laws and whistleblower protection laws. For more information on No Fear Act training, go to http://www.eeoc.gov/ | 5 CFR 724.203 | On a training cycle of no longer than every 2 years |
Ethics Awareness – Agencies are required to provide annual ethics training to employees identified in the regulation, such as political appointees and contracting officers. Agencies must provide ethics training to new agency employees within 90 days of their entrance on duty. For more information on ethics awareness, go to http://www.usoge.gov/ | 5 CFR 2638.705 | Annually |
IT Security Awareness – Agencies are required to develop a plan for Federal information systems security awareness and training. | 5 CFR 930.301 | Annually |
Equal Employment Opportunity – Agencies are required to communicate (i.e., through training) to their employees their equal employment opportunity policy and programs. For more information on EEO training, go to http://www.eeoc.gov/ | 29 CFR 1614.102(a)(4) | On a continuous basis |
Constitution – Agencies are required to provide new employees with education and training materials concerning the United States Constitution. Note: Employees are not required to take Constitution Day training. Agencies are required annually to provide materials on the Constitution to all employees. | Section 111 of Title I, Division J, of the Fiscal Year 2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 108-447) | Upon entry for new employees and on September 17th of each year for all employees. |
Performance Management – Agencies are required to communicate (i.e., through formal training) the relevant parts of their performance appraisal system. | 5 CFR 430.209(c) | There is no time-frame specified in 5 CFR 430.209(c); however, it is recommended agencies communicate the features and results of agency performance management system annually to employees and their supervisors. |
Occupational Health and Safety – Agencies are required to provide appropriate health and safety training to employees, including specialized job safety and health training appropriate to work performed by the employee. Training should inform employees of agencies’ health and safety programs. For more information on occupational health and safety training, go to http://www.osha.gov/dte/index.html. | 29 CFR 1960.59(a) | There is no time frame specified. |
Plain Writing Act – Agencies are required to provide training in plain writing to agency employees. Agencies should design a plan to determine which employees would benefit the most from this training, as well as provide training to new employees. Senior officials are responsible for overseeing their agency’s implementation of this training to employees, and establish a process for the agency to oversee its ongoing compliance with the Act’s requirements. For more information on plain language training, go to http://www.plainlanguage.gov/index.cfm. | Public Law 111-274 | The deadline for implementing training agency employees was July 13, 2011, but there is no other specified time frame for this training. |
Mandatory Training for Specific Groups of Employees | Legal Citation | Frequency |
Initial and Ongoing Supervisory training – Agencies are required to provide training to develop supervisors and managers as part of a comprehensive management succession program. | 5 U.S.C. 4121 | Initial supervisory training within one year of a new supervisor’s appointment; ongoing supervisory training at least once every three years |
Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, Pub. L. 103-353 (USERRA) – Agencies must provide training to human resources personnel on items including rights, benefits, and obligations of members of the uniformed services. For more information on USERRA, go to http://www.dol.gov/vets/programs/userra/ | 38 U.S.C. 4335 | Recommended annually pending final regulation |
Occupational Safety and Health Training for Supervisors – Agencies must provide occupational health and safety training for supervisors focusing on supervisory responsibilities for providing and maintaining safe and healthful working conditions for employees. For more information on occupational health and safety training for supervisors, go to http://www.osha.gov/dte/index.html | 29 CFR 1960.55 | There is no timeframe specified |
Veteran Employment Training for Federal Hiring Managers – Agencies must provide training to hiring managers concerning veterans’ employment, including training on veterans’ preferences and special authorities for the hiring of veterans. There is a free training available on HR University at http://hru.gov/course_catalog.aspx | Executive Order 13518 | Annual |
Veteran Employment Training for Federal Human Resources Professionals – Agencies must provide training to human resources personnel concerning veterans’ employment, including training on veterans’ preferences and special authorities for the hiring of veterans. There is a free training available on HR University at http://hru.gov/course_catalog.aspx. | Executive Order 13518 | Annual |
Note: The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 generally requires agencies to provide interactive telework training to eligible employees and their managers and requires employees to complete the training prior to signing a telework agreement. OPM developed training modules to meet this requirement. The training modules are available on
HR University and on
OPM's telework website.
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Mandatory training for all employees Governmentwide. This includes training mandated by federal statute or regulation; such as in the areas of computer security awareness (Title 5 CFR §930.301-305), ethics (Title 5 CFR §2638.703 and 704), or executives, managerial, and supervisory, (Title 5 CFR Part 412).
Computer Security Awareness Training
The importance of computer security to the agency, employees' role and responsibility in computer security, and basic agency computer security policies and procedures is a part of the periodic computer security training required by the Computer Security Act of 1987, Pub. L. 100-235 (1988).
Title 5 CFR 930.301-305 requires the head of each agency to provide initial, continuing, and refresher training at the awareness level, policy level, implementation level and performance level for executives, program and functional managers, information resources managers, security and audit personnel, automated data processing management, operations, and programming staff, and end users.
Ethics Training
Title 5 CFR §2638.703(b) requires that each new agency employee be provided, within 90 days of the date of his or her entrance on duty, the ethics materials specified in Title 5 CFR §2638.703(a). Agencies must also provide new employees with a minimum of one hour of duty time to either review these materials or receive ethics training.
Title 5 CFR §2638.704(a) requires that agencies provide employees an annual ethics training and the briefing must meet content requirements under Title 5 CFR §2638.704(c). Agencies must provide employees a minimum of one hour of duty time to receive annual ethics training.
Executives, Managers, and Supervisors
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) established guidelines as of September 12, 2006, to ensure the ongoing leadership capacity of the Federal workforce and to assist agencies in meeting several managerial development objectives. The guideline reflects and supports, several related efforts focused on Governmentwide leadership. For additional information see Guidelines for Managerial Development Memorandum.
Title 5 CFR Part 412 requires agencies to systematically develop executives, managers, supervisors, and candidates for these positions. Agency programs must provide for:
- initial training for incumbents based on the results of needs assessments;
- continuing learning experiences, so that the individual may achieve the mastery level of proficiency for his or her current management level and position; and
- systematic development of candidates for higher management levels, including any U.S. Office of Personnel Management approved formal Senior Executive Service candidate development programs.
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