5.1 What is the purpose of this chapter? This chapter establishes:
A. A uniform set of guidelines employees must follow when they are financing and documenting training,
B. Designates the Standard Form (SF) 182, Authorization, Agreement, and Certification of Training, as the financial document to use to obligate and commit funds, and
C. Designates the SF 182 as the document of record authorizing an employee to attend training and certifying the training was completed. Employees must use this form for any training they take outside the Department’s Learning Management System (i.e., DOI Learn).
5.2 What are the objectives of this chapter? Our objectives are to:
A. Standardize the process for employees to:
(1) Obligate and commit funding for training,
(2) Document training through DOI Learn and offerings outside the DOI Learn system, and
(3) Obtain authorization and certification of completion of training.
B. Establish DOI Learn as our repository of documentation for management and reporting purposes.
5.3 What is the scope of this chapter? This chapter applies to:
A. Permanent employees in the competitive or excepted service,
B. Employees in temporary appointments when their appointment is for a period longer than 180 days,
C. Intergovernmental Personnel Act assignees,
D. Employees hired under programs such as the Pathways program, and
E. People from other Federal agencies serving on a detail of 180 days or longer.
5.4 What are the authorities for this chapter?
A. Employee Performance, Training (5 U.S.C. 41).
B. Civil Service Regulations; Training and Supervisory, Management, and Executive Development (5 CFR 410 and 412).
C. U.S Office of Personnel Management, Training and Development Policy.
D. 370 DM 410, Human Capital Training and Development.
E. Department of the Interior Acquisition Policy Release (DIAPR 2010-24).
5.5 Who is responsible for administrative and financial procedures? Table 5-1 describes the responsibilities of Service employees for the administrative and financial aspects of training.
Table 5-1: Responsibilities for Administrative and Financial Procedures
These employees…… | Are responsible for….. |
A. The Director | (1) Ensuring the Service develops and implements effective administrative and financial procedures for training, and (2) Approving training policy. |
B. Directorate members | (1) Overseeing Regional and program training administrative and financial procedures, and (2) Delegating appropriate training oversight to their Deputies. |
C. Deputy Directorate members | Overseeing their Regional and program training administrative and financial procedures. |
D. Assistant Regional Directors and Division/Office Chiefs | (1) Providing the Deputies Group with information about training administration for their Regions and programs, (2) Overseeing compliance with training administrative and financial procedures for their areas of responsibility, and (3) When appropriate, directing and distributing training funds. |
E. Director, National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) | (1) Providing strategic direction for training and development activities in the Service, (2) Leading and providing the resources for the Service’s training center, and (3) Establishing policy related to training administrative and financial procedures. |
F. Regional Training Coordinators (and a representative from NCTC’s Division of Training for the Headquarters (HQ) office). | (1) Serving as their Region’s/HQ’s point of contact for administrative and financial procedures related to training, (2) Coordinating with the data steward at NCTC who handles the DOI Learn data, (3) Assisting new employees with establishing or troubleshooting administrative and financial procedures related to training, and (4) Providing guidance to the supervisors in their areas of responsibility about any changes to DOI Learn related to administrative and financial procedures. |
G. Chief of Training, NCTC | (1) Establishing guidance for the administrative and financial procedures in procuring and documenting training, (2) Assisting employees with administrative and financial procedures, and (3) Communicating information to employees to ensure they are advised on DOI Learn updates and how employees must use it. |
H. Supervisors | (1) Budgeting for training needs, (2) Ensuring that adequate funds are available when training is requested/authorized, (3) Approving training requests in DOI Learn, or if an external training request is authorized (i.e., one that is not offered in DOI Learn), ensuring completion of an SF 182, (4) Signing SF 182 forms to authorize training that is external to DOI Learn, (5) Ensuring employees’ training records are accurate when they complete a training event, and (6) Taking action to obtain reimbursement from employees when they do not complete training or when they don’t abide by a continued service agreement. |
I. Employees | (1) Creating an active DOI Learn account and ensuring their profile reflects accurate personal and supervisor information, (2) Following the current DOI Learn process for requesting training, (3) Using an SF 182 to request training external to DOI Learn and entering the course into their online transcript upon completion, (4) Validating and certifying in DOI Learn that the training they took is accurately reflected on their learning transcript, and (5) Completing any learning evaluation surveys requested after they complete training. |
5.6 How do employees establish a DOI Learn account?
A. All Service employees must establish a DOI Learn account to comply with the administrative and reporting requirements for training.
B. It is easy to establish an account. A few weeks after you begin working for the Service, you will receive an email with instructions for logging in and establishing an account. Log on to the NCTC site and locate the DOI Learn link. Follow the procedures and spend some time getting acquainted with the system.
C. When you change positions in the Department or your supervisor changes, be sure to update your personal information to reflect the changes.
5.7 Who should employees contact if they have trouble with their accounts?
A. Regions have a Regional Training Coordinator in their Regional office who can help you. In the HQ office, contact the Service’s DOI Learn data steward. You can find that contact information on DOI Learn’s contact list Web site.
B. If you are still unable to resolve the issue after contacting your Regional Training Coordinator, then contact the Service’s DOI Learn data steward at NCTC. You can find that contact information on DOI Learn’s contact list Web site.
5.8 Do employees have to enter all training for work in DOI Learn? Yes, employees and their supervisors must ensure that a record for all the training they take for work is entered in DOI Learn (even when they take a course that isn’t included in the system). DOI Learn has the capacity to record all of your training and provide you with an official Service transcript.
5.9 How do employees document external training not offered in DOI Learn so that completion is reflected in their training records? External training is captured in DOI Learn after completing the training and processing the SF 182. See the DOI Learn Web site for instructions.
5.10 How are training funds committed?
A. For common off-the-shelf training that is already prepared, training can be paid for by using an SF 182 to commit and obligate funding in accordance with the guidelines in DIAPR 2010-24, where:
(1) If the dollar amount is within micro-purchase thresholds (currently $2,500), training can be paid for using a Government credit card with the SF 182 as the authorization of the funding for that purchase, and
(2) If the dollar amount is above micro-purchase thresholds, the SF 182 may be used as the obligating document, and the obligation is then made in the Financial and Business Management System (FBMS).
B. In addition to individual training requests, the SF 182 can be used to procure training for a group of employees or for an entire training class. To do this, you do not put the names of the individuals on the SF 182. Instead, enter the number of employees authorized under the applicant’s name section of the form as “Maximum number of students to attend.”
C. Customized training or modified off-the-shelf training can be paid for by:
(1) Using a Government credit card for purchases within the micro-purchase thresholds, or
(2) By competing the procurement through your Contracting and General Services office in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation.