I’m a big believer in professional development and continuous improvement. After I attend trainings or conferences, I try to find ways to incorporate the new ideas and skills into my work. I know many child support professionals are the same and like to start off the new year by setting goals, including ways to develop their professional skills. This can include attending conferences, completing certifications, enrolling in a webinar series, and more. These are all great ways to enhance your skills, although they might not always fit your schedule or budget. But did you know there are many low-cost professional development opportunities accessible to you right now? The shift to virtual training has made it easier than ever to learn at your convenience.
Here are a few low-cost ways you can level up your skill set in 2023:
- Ask your supervisor: Does your workplace have a professional development budget or pay for a service that offers online trainings? Ask your boss! Be sure you’re taking advantage of all work benefits that can help you improve your skill set. Also, find out if there are opportunities to support other departments in your workplace to learn new skills.
- Learn plain language: Communicating clearly is an important skill for government employees who help the public access services and benefits. The Plain Language Action and Information Network
(PLAIN) is a group of government employees from different agencies and specialties who support the use of clear communication. You can access online resources and training videos on its website. You can also subscribe to the federal plain language community mailing list to learn about upcoming webinars and participate in discussions about plain language topics.
- Study best practices for improving user experience: Digital.gov
is a great resource to increase your digital literacy and learn how to improve your customer’s online experience. This website has a customer experience toolkit and communities of practice where you can learn from other government professionals about social media, web analytics, language access, and more.
- Attend the free NextGen Virtual Summit: GovLoop
is a platform with free resources and trainings for federal, state, and local government workers. Every year, GovLoop hosts the NextGen conference that includes trainings to inspire and prepare the next generation of government leaders.
- Take a university class: Visit edX.org
to join millions of people worldwide who take free classes from higher education institutions like Harvard, Georgetown, University of Texas, Caltech, and more. You can choose from over 2,800 courses in business administration, communication, ethics, health and safety, data analysis, and other topics.
- Volunteer to expand your experience: The Combined Federal Campaign
website has a database of organizations and nonprofits that are worthy of your support. You can type in your ZIP code to see what is available in your community and check the box “Volunteer Opportunities Available” if you want to donate your time. This can be a great way to learn a new skill or build experience with something you’re already good at doing.
- Start a community of practice: Share knowledge by starting your own community of practice at your workplace. Consider organizing a webinar series with subject matter experts on different topics. You can also create a shared folder where coworkers can add tips and resources they learn at other webinars. No one has enough time to participate in every training, so summarizing important points can help everyone learn.
I hope you’re able to take advantage of these great opportunities this year. If you know about other low-cost professional development resources, we’d love to hear about them! Email your suggestions to CSR.Editor@acf.hhs.gov.
Tanguler Gray, Commissioner
This blog gives the commissioner a forum to communicate directly with child support professionals and other stakeholders about relevant topics. The Commissioner’s Voice is reprinted from the January 2023 Child Support Report newsletter.