Site to centralize e-training

Gov Online Learning Center

Agencies' online training programs eventually will become part of the Gov Online Learning Center—a one-stop shop for e-training that now hosts a career road map tool for information technology workers and other enhancements.

President Bush's fiscal 2004 budget, due for release Feb. 3, will contain details about when agencies will migrate their existing e-training programs to the center, said Mark Forman, associate director for information technology and e-government at the Office of Management and Budget.

In addition, OMB will send agencies a letter to "provide clarity and consistency of guidance," he said. "Agencies have to see what the guidance is in a joint situation."

At least 10 agencies are investing about $50 million annually in online training programs that can be replaced by the Gov Online Learning Center, Forman said at an event today at the Office of Personnel Management. The business cases agencies submitted for the fiscal 2004 budget showed the redundancy, he said, adding that agencies "need to team up. They can't go at it alone."

OPM is responsible for the e-training initiative, which is one of the Bush administration's 24 e-government initiatives. OPM launched the Gov Online Learning Center in July 2002, and today it launched the second phase of the program, which includes new features and enhancements to the site (www.golearn.gov).

The highlights include:

* Implement a competency-based career path tool for information technology workers (fully functional in June).

* Implement fee-for-service technology.

* Provide access to additional free and mandatory training courses.

* Establish initial functionality with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the Office of Executive and Management Development.

* Preview the Merit Systems Principles tutorial.

Since July 2002, the site has registered 35,000 users who have completed 10,000 courses, said Norm Enger, OPM's e-government program director. The site will also save the government $1.19 billion over 10 years, he said.