Technical Training Individual Development Plan: 2021 Results
The Individual Development Plan (IDP) tool allows local managers to identify priority resource concerns and practices, local technical staff to identify technical training needs and record training history, and incorporates information from the NRCS Job Approval Authority database. The IDP tool also enables conservation staff to share their technical training needs, document credentials and certifications, find others with conservation skills for peer-to-peer assistance/on the job training and more.
For the 2021 IDPs 375 employees submitted 2,391 requests for training. These training requests included practices, basic and advanced skills, core competencies, and certifications. The technical training needs requests are summarized below.
Conservation Practices
Most conservation practices follow the NRCS practice code, standards, and specifications found in the Minnesota Field Office Technical Guide. Job Approval Authority may be granted to employees who have gained knowledge, developed skills, and demonstrated their competency for a specific practice.
Some practices, such as rain gardens, do not have a corresponding NRCS practice. These practices are planned, designed, and installed by conservation staff, and are included in the IDP training needs assessment. The table below contains the training needs for practices with the most requests.
Basic Technical Skills
Basic technical skills provide a foundation for technical employees working on conservation activities. There is no NRCS Job Approval Authority associated with these skills, rather they aid in the planning, design, implementation, and monitoring of conservation practices.
Advanced Technical Skills
Advanced technical skills are essential for comprehensive conservation planning and complex engineering work. Generally these skills are required for technical employees to achieve higher levels of Job Approval Authority and credentials such as Certified Conservation Planner.
What does TTCP do with IDP results?
The primary 2021 IDP data entry closed on October 15, 2021. Updated training needs information is pulled from the IDP database quarterly, so users are encouraged to regularly update their training needs.
IDP information was reviewed by the Area Technical Training Teams throughout the month of November to determine the local training needs and prioritize training delivery. This information was then shared at the state level, and served as the foundation for the development of the 2022 training plan.
A listing of current and upcoming TTCP training opportunities can be found on the Training Calendar.
In addition, self-paced trainings are continually added to Online Learning, which can be found in the Online Learning.