Too Many Agencies Rely On Costly, Ineffective Training

Brittany Ballenstedt | Nextgov | September 18, 2012

A new report by the Government Accountability Office points out that many federal training programs are duplicative, costly and/or ineffective, and that governmentwide virtual training may be agencies’ best solution to centralizing training and saving money.

The report, released Monday, found that while many agency chief human capital officers are implementing some leading practices to determine the best mix of training for their employees, many are not making decisions that support more cost-effective training investments or prioritizing training so that the most important needs are met first. Many CHCOs also do not have information on component or sub-agency training programs, resulting in duplicative training investments, GAO found.

The Office of Personnel Management also has a role in ensuring agencies roll out training programs effectively, but much of this guidance and accountability is absent, the report states.

Open Health News' Take: 

There are now a tremendous number of 'Open' Education & Training resources and tools that the VA, DoD, HHS, and other healthcare organizations ought to tap into and start using. These include open source software, open access materials (textbooks, journals, etc.), open data, open apps, open education & training communities, and much more. To get a quick overview of the many 'Open' Education & Training tools and resources available, take a few minutes to look at the COSI Open Education & Training web site.

Why keep reinventing the wheel, developing similar courses, awarding contracts to develop courses other federal and state healthcare organizations may already have developed.  So much can be done if we learn to collaborate and share innovative 'open' health education & training solutions. Imagine creating a shared 'open source' repository of healthcare education and training courses for doctors, nurses, clerks, technicians, and administrators.   -  Peter Groen, Senior Editor, Open Health News (OHN)