Mandatory Supervisory Training Requirements
The Oklahoma Personnel Act requires both classified and unclassified supervisors in the executive branch of state government, excluding those within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, to attend 12 hours of supervisory training annually.
The HCM Administrator has adopted Civil Service and Human Capital Modernization Rules to implement the statutory supervisory training requirement. These rules require individuals appointed after Jan. 1, 2000, to complete 24 hours within the first 12 months of employment. Performance Management Process training and progressive discipline training also is required within the first 12 months of appointment to a supervisory position. Agencies must annually report their level of compliance with the rules.
Q: What courses satisfy this requirement?
A: Courses or training related to the effective performance of an agency manager or supervisor.
Q: Who approves a course?
A: Employing agencies. Training conducted by employing agencies, public and private schools, and colleges and universities may count toward supervisory training requirements if the coursework meets the definition for supervisory training in the Merit Rules.
Q: Does all the training have to be taken through HCM Training & Development (formerly OPM HRDS)?
A: No. State agencies may provide courses taught by agency instructors, hire consultants, send employees to seminars, etc.
Q: Is classroom training the only training that counts?
A: No. However, casual reading of a book is not training. There must be some other form of learning demonstrated. Agencies may utilize video conferencing, professional conferences, computer- or web-based training (including SkillSoft E-Learning courses), CD-ROMs, small group discussion sessions, book/article reports, brown-bag sessions, etc.
Q: What records do agencies need to keep?
A: Employing agencies must keep records of the training of all supervisory employees and submit reports of supervisory training to HCM Training & Development at the request of the HCM Administrator. HCM Training & Development courses will show up on individual transcripts. It is advisable for agencies to get something in writing from each manager and supervisor listing what course was taken, the date, and the hours earned. Agencies who want their training courses to show up on CORE ELM learner transcripts should post them on the CORE ELM system through their own learning environments.
Q: How long is an "hour" of training?
A: 60 minutes. An HCM Training & Development course which lasts from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. is considered six hours of training instead of eight hours because breaks, lunch and luncheon speakers are deducted. Continuing education units (CEUs) are also awarded for the Training & Development workshops. 0.1 CEU is equivalent to one hour of actual training attended. So a one-day (six-hour) class would be awarded 0.6 CEUs of continuing education training credit.
Q: How much of a course may a person miss and still get credit for attending?
A: Each situation is determined individually. Full attendance is usually required.
Q: Do conferences count?
A: It depends on the topics taught at the conference. Often, portions of a conference will count. Agencies should look for direct connections to an employee's job duties as a supervisor or manager.
