SAVE Award 2011 Ideas

Lynda.com. For an inexpensive $250 a year employees can have unlimited training on any software or software technique that they would need. The options seem to be unlimited. From MSWord to Adobe CS5.

So many agencies and Departments develop their own IT security training that all employees have to take annually. How much do all these programs, which are new each year, cost? Why not just have one government-wide computer security training program? We would save millions in duplicated effort and increase uniformity of security standards.

Much of our training, for COTRs and Contracting Offiers, for example, is held in other parts of the city with vendors at a high cost per person. In order to cut costs, our agency has been hosting such training on site in the office, which was up to 90% less expensive for the training alone. It also keeps the staff in the office rather than putting them off site.

Similarly, online training and webinars can get the job... more »

Every time a government employee has to travel on official duty we are forced to use SATO or some other agency designated travel service to purchase our mode of travel & lodging. I have in my possession a copy of a travel confirmation in which the airline ticket cost the taxpayers $1881.80. This ticket could have been purchased for approximately $1000.00 less online without going through SATO. When you add up all the... more »

I have never been a fan of online courses, particularly ones where a student simply clicks through a set of slides. However, online course delivery has evolved into a format that is not only cheaper, but one which can actually provide a higher-quality learning experience than a traditional classroom.

Universities around the world are now providing virtual classrooms for their students. I encourage you to view MIT’s free... more »

Increase Virtual Training instead of conference/travel training, this year I have seen people selected for conferences that cost the government thousands of dollars in which the conference materials could have been released via online training. We really need to begin to tighten this area up. I suggest a guideline / mold (if you will) that allows travel for training. I suggest that staff and leadership investigate... more »