IDPs - Individual Development Plans - are designed to help employees define a path forward in their federal career and develop a plan to get there. While for many this feels like a burdensome administrative process, it is a critical exercise that holds employee and manager accountable for job success and satisfaction.
One key element of the IDP is creating an action plan. In addition to setting short (one to three years) and long-term (five to 10 years) goals, employees must also outline the steps needed to achieve those goals. This includes listing job-specific activities, training, and further education. Deadlines are assigned to the goals as well as the tasks associated with them.[Tweet "One key element of the IDP is creating an action plan. #GovEventsBlog"]
Knowing what events and training options are available to support short and long-term goals is a critical part of making an IDP actionable. Having a definitive and substantiated list of needed training and events in an IDP can make the path to attendance and expense approval much smoother. But how do you know which events will really help you meet those goals and where do you find them?[Tweet "Knowing what events/training options are available is critical part of IDP. #GovEventsBlog"]
GovEvents was created to be your one-stop-shop for finding all events that relate to the government market. On the site you can search by keyword, area of focus, location, date, continuing education credits, type of event (online or in-person), and more. Over 750 different event planners posted thousands of events on the site in 2015. Our aim is to make this vast event landscape easily accessible and searchable in an effort to make it more applicable to your needs.
Once you've found a list of events that look like a good fit, here are a couple of tips to finalize your list:
- Get the credit you deserve -- does the event offer Continuing Education Credits? Have you listed some desired certifications on your IDP? Many professions require a certain number of training hours to maintain or earn certifications. Look for the events that offer these credits and outline the way to make the credits official with your organization or other governing body.
- Timing is everything - look at your goals and determine the steps needed to reach them. Plot out when you need to complete training/learning and search for events in that specific time frame. If no events are available within that timeframe, save your search on GovEvents so you can be auto-notified when events matching your criteria are posted.
- Mix it up - create a mix of training options to meet your goals.[Tweet "Create a mix of training options to meet your IDP goals. #GovEventsBlog"] This will not only make your learning more well-rounded, but also keep training from feeling like a chore. Look for some on-demand webinars you can do when your schedule permits. Add in some in-person networking-focused events to help build your personal network of mentors. Attend large conferences as well as smaller, more focused events to get the full range of ideas and experiences.
We'd love to hear from you. What criteria is important to you when searching for events to attend? Let us know in the comments.
