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Individual Learning
Accounts: Making the Most of What You Have
Approximately
60 percent of the Federal workforce performs knowledge-based work, usually in occupations
where learning new information and adapting to change is part of the environment. It is therefore critical for employees to
maintain, build, and keep up with changes in those fields. Yet, due to fiscal austerity measures, resources
for training and development are likely to continue to be limited. However, there is a tool that could help
organizations meet their training challenge.
Over 10
years ago, a task force was assembled as a result of Executive
Order No. 13111, “Using Technology to Improve Training Opportunities for Federal
Government Employees”. The task
force recommended that individual learning accounts (ILAs) be pilot tested to
determine their value as a workforce development tool. According to the Office of
Personnel Management, an Individual learning Account is a specified amount
of resources such as dollars, hours, or learning technology tools (i.e., access
to the internet, use of government computers away from the office, etc.), or a
combination of the three that are set aside for an individual employee to use for his or her learning and development.” Supervisors would determine the level of
resources to commit based on the needs of the agency and employee.
This tool
allows employees and organizations to share responsibility and costs of
job-related training and development. Pilot
programs for ILAs were conducted from March 2000 until September 2000 and were
used by different organizations to accomplish a wide range of missions. For instance, the Department of Treasury
Internal Revenue Service used ILAs to move toward its goal of increasing the
number of certified public accountants in the Western Region. Through the use
of ILAs employees were provided with the necessary coursework that would
ultimately prepare them for certification.
In another example, the General Services
Administration provided employees with individual accounts to take training
online through Online University (OLU).
This arrangement provided employees with more control and input over
their training and allowed the organization to save travel costs associated
with training.
As a final
example, the Department
of Defense Air Combat Command used ILAs to improve performance and promote
mission readiness. According to survey
results, 88 per cent of commanders and supervisors indicated that participating
employees showed improved job performance and 100 percent indicated that morale
and quality of life for participating employees was improved. At the end of the test period, some agencies
continued the pilot program, others incorporated parts of their program into
another program and yet others made some changes but kept most of the original
program intact. While the goals of agencies that participated in the pilot
programs varied and the level and type of employee contribution (e.g., money,
personal time) and organization contribution (e.g., money, official work time,
technology, equipment) varied, overall results seemed to be positive.
ILAs appear
to provide benefits to employees, managers, and organizations. Employees gained increased control to tailor
training and development to fit their individual needs allowing them to stay
current with changes occurring in their field and possibly obtain new skills or
experiences necessary for advancement.
Managers were able to demonstrate their support for employee development
and help them with identifying courses or types of assignments that would
assist in building skills or expand advancement opportunities. Organizations were able to promote a culture
of continuous learning and improve morale.
Most importantly they were able
to gain these benefits without increasing their training budget. Instead, organizations instituted programs
that maximized the use of existing resources.
In the current
resource scarce environment, now may be the time to re-examine the usefulness
of ILAs and determine if or how they could benefit your organization. More information about ILAs and how they are
being used now may be found at https://www.opm.gov/WIKI/training/Individual-Learning-Accounts-ILA.ashx.