workshops

Proficient verbal and non-verbal communications is a craft. The ability to effectively communicate at all levels within the workplace is critical to the survival of the employee and organization as a whole. Effective communication encourages creativity and innovation, employees are aware of what is impacting the organization and are empowered with knowledge; and are more acceptable to change even if they do not agree. Also, it determines the quality of our everyday environment and stretches across our community, workplace, and family life. During these lean times of doing more with less, employers value those who can effectively communicate well verbally and nonverbally. This training category features training that provides tools for overcoming barriers to effective communication and techniques for communicating effectively in the office as well as environments outside of the confines of the organization.

DEIA is the key to growth in today’s aggressively competitive global economy. DEIA is the strategy of using best practices with proven results to find and create a diverse and inclusive workplace. Successful strategies link diversity progress directly to business results. Governments that seek global market relevancy must embrace diversity – in how they think, act, and transform. This area is not just about making the numbers; it provides perspectives regarding the future of diversity and some of the new best practices that will allow diversity to play a more strategic role in fostering sustainable business success. This category may address understanding different cultural practices, myths/ untruths, and worldviews, and cross-cultural and social attributes and experiences.

The BIG Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Institute facilitates workshops, panels and specialized presentations centered precisely on federal, state, and local government EEO, affirmative employment and diversity (Executive Order 13583: Establishing A Coordinated Government-Wide Initiative To Promote Diversity And Inclusion In The Federal Workforce Issued August 18, 2011) issues in the workplace. This involves, but is not limited to, filing and formulating EEO complaints, regulatory timeframes, employee rights, settlement agreements, alternative dispute resolution (Mediation), and employee appeals rights. The BIG EEO Institute provides training for BIG members appointed to positions of advisement within the organization to assist employees in the EEO Complaint Process. Strongly encourage establishing partnerships with other affinity groups, unions, and agency officials/senior management to discuss Agency recruitment/hiring and affirmative action plans, MD-715 and 462 reporting, special emphasis programs, underrepresentation, and other topics that affect public service employment. All EEO-related training vendor applications shall be referred to the National AE/EEO Chairman/Committee for approval for BIG EEO Institute presentation(s).

This category includes traditional introductions to personal investments and organizational finance as well as significant features on how sound financial management provides vital information, financial services, and policy support within government at all levels. Building one’s financial portfolio by understanding the various financial tools and how to best secure your financial stability: your retirement benefits, long-term insurance, credit management, and wealth building. Financial tools that address recommended solutions to enhance readiness and leverage financial management information for strategic planning, budgeting/forecasting, implementation; and risk management, accounting, and data management will be introduced.

In several organizational studies, resource management is the efficient and effective deployment of an organization’s resources when and where they are needed. The ability to manage human capital, financial and information resources strategically are paramount to the organization. Identifying the organizational goals, budget considerations, and staffing needs are essential. This category will identify a variety of best practices and other critical activities that are vital to deciding staffing needs, managing what you have, and providing human resource expertise, services, and IT infrastructure. Focus on understanding and appropriately applying principles, procedures, requirements, and policies related to specialized expertise. The topics will encompass these factors with emphasis on the importance of recognizing organizational cultural and environmental aspects to maintain an essential partnership in developing and executing organizational strategies.

As the workforce is living longer and retiring later, it is imperative to keep people healthy and productive. Topics are designed to increase awareness of various health issues on prevention, various diseases within ethnic/ minority populations, wellness to include nutrition and exercise, social and mental health and health disparities across populations. This category will focus on healthy strategies that affect work productivity and career advancement.

This is the age of technology. Computers have become essential tools for integrating the many elements of information technology (IT). Learn innovative technology and advance your career with our career-related information technology training. This category provides training in the skills needed to participate in and support the increasingly visible role of information technology in daily life successfully. The training will identify current methods, concepts, and practical applications of IT both within and outside the workplace and address the most common challenges faced by IT generalists. Training sessions cover a broad range of IT related topics such as computing, basic technology, webinar, social media, information security/privacy software applications, E-Commerce, telecommunications, and the Internet.

The Leadership and Management category focuses on training that develops the managerial skills, tools, techniques, and practices that every manager or leader needs to be effective in the 21st century. Training ranges from sessions designed to create a foundation and enhance leadership skills for new and entry-level managers to executive training for senior level managers. The topics covered include making the transition to management to leadership through building on experience and training aligning with the core leadership competencies such as:

• coaching,
• negotiation,
• conflict resolution,
• team building,
• managing change,
• accountability,
• flexibility,
• vision,
• problem-solving,
• resilience,
• strategic planning, and
• preparing for SES.

In preparation, one must review the effectiveness of their core qualifications for proficiency.

The Professional Development category not only includes training sessions that provide career-planning strategies, tools, and techniques that can be used effectively to overcome obstacles to career advancement but also focus on building coalition through networking, office savvy and the value of negotiating. The training focuses on building a more productive career while developing new skills through education and applied experiences while developing core leadership competencies of leading people, continual learning and development, and goal setting, and the impact of security issues and information technology.

All public and private organizations continue to search for the workforce for quality employees with various subject matter experts required to succeed in the future. Within the next five to six years, the government agencies at federal, state, and local sectors as well as many private companies will lose a significant number of employees to retirement. Key leaders will be invited to present several training sessions necessary for employees to obtain and maintain their certification in financial management, acquisitions, accounting, program management, project management, and information technology.