5. Employee Development
Employee Development has two main areas of responsibility: Product Development and Evaluation, which designs, develops, and evaluates curricula; and Delivery, which operates at the William F. Bolger Center for Leadership Development, Potomac, MD and at the National Center for Employee Development, Norman, OK. Both centers are self-contained campuses with classrooms, conference facilities, housing, dining and related services. There are 85 Postal Employee Development Centers throughout the nation that support operational needs by providing local training assistance to employees.

While traditional classrooms, on-the-job instruction, and correspondence courses are still prevalent, delivery platforms increasingly include satellite networks, videotape, computer-based interactive programs, web-based instruction, and combinations of these.

        a. Management Training
With the continuation of the Associate Supervisor Program (ASP), Career Management Program (CMP), and Advanced Leadership Program (ALP), the training and development needs of supervisors and managers at all levels of the organization are being met.

The 16-week ASP for first-line supervisors continues to be a national success. All 85 districts have participated in the program, which has graduated 10,390. In 2001, approximately 125 classes were conducted.

The CMP was introduced in the spring of 1999. CMP addresses the needs of supervisors and managers in the EAS level 15-22 range. In 2001, more than 40 offerings were completed for 1,015 EAS employees. There are three entry points or tracks representing initial and advanced supervisory skills and management development. Participants complete an assessment based on the leadership competency model to determine their appropriate entry point into the program. Currently the program consists of one week of classroom instruction for each track. In addition, functional/technical training is available for delivery and mail processing supervisors. Several other functions have functional/technical curricula already in place for supervisors.

The ALP continued to make significant progress in preparing high-potential managers for the challenging leadership roles of the future. By the end of the year, a total of 48 classes with approximately 42 students per class had entered the program. Several program design improvements were made. Among them were a new ALP video describing the Executive Competency model; an updated enrollment guide and website; a new evening speaker series called Executive Chat; and the addition of two postal vice presidents as regularly appearing ALP faculty. This year introduced the first of a planned series of seminars for ALP graduates: the ALP Strategic Direction Seminar Series, the result of a partnership between Employee Development and Strategic Planning. Each seminar focuses on one point of the Postmaster General’s “star,” the five success strategies. The first seminar focused on pursuing legislative reform.
ALP was reviewed by the American Council on Education and was rated as carrying 12 undergraduate college credits. As a result, ALP students pursuing college degrees will now be able to apply their ALP experience toward college degree requirements.

The Processing and Distribution Management program focuses on the core operational aspects of the plant manager position. The course has been structured to touch all functional areas, and to provide reference materials and tools to the plant manager candidate. The course is a combination of classroom lecture, real world examples, and the application of learning through projects and On-the-Job Instruction (OJI). The course material provides an overview of basic mail processing operations, performance expectations, and support functions that directly support plant performance. The participant receives a macro view of facility operations and planning, expands knowledge of support functions, and develops a strategic plan for change. The week of OJI involves visiting a designated trainer plant manager. It allows the participant to visit a Processing and Distribution Center, a Bulk Mail Center, and an Airport Mail Center. Individuals identified on Performance Cluster succession plans for the positions of Manager, Processing and Distribution Facility, EAS-23; Manager, Processing and Distribution Center, EAS-25; and Manager, Processing and Distribution Center PCES-1 (small) are eligible to attend. Six classes were held in 2001, with 119 participants.

In a continuing partnership with PBS, The Business and Technology Network, postal employees received training on a number of topics affecting them and their workplace. Programs aired via the Postal Satellite Training Network covered safety, diversity, customer service, and management issues. Most programs could be taped for viewing at another location or time, saving travel time and expenses over traditional seminar training venues. Safety programs, were seen by more than 50,000 postal employees nationwide.

Safety for Postal Leadership was rolled out to an audience of more than 35,000 postal leaders. This 16-hour course provides an opportunity for supervisors, managers, and craft leaders to study together. It underscores the critical role of leaders in promoting safety in postal operations. This course is now an integral part of ASP and lays a critical foundation for members of Joint Labor Management Safety and Health Committees and Facility Safety Coordinators in smaller facilities without full-time safety professionals.

Facility Safety Coordinator (FSC) Training is a self-directed, self-paced course, available in both paper and web-based formats. FSC training covers thirty-eight critical safety topics in three areas: leadership, technical, and administrative tasks. The target audience is any EAS employee with facility safety coordination responsibility.

        b. Technical and Craft Education
The National Center for Employee Development (NCED) achieved the goal of capturing its program revenues and journal voucher transfers from Postal customers greater than expenses incurred in first year to receive zero dollars from the Postal Service in its program budget. Aggressive seat management, a curriculum widened beyond traditional technical courses, and revenue generation efforts contributed to this success in the Center's mandate to become self-funding and independent from the postal headquarters budget by FY 2005.

In FY 2001, NCED's traditional headquarters' program funding was moved to field offices, and NCED received an administrative budget of $18.4 million and a $0 program budget. The Center began charging postal clients and stepped up efforts to attract non-postal conference and training clients. Through intensive revenue efforts and cost control, NCED held administrative budget costs below its allocation, covered FY 2001 program expenses with revenues, and ended the year with a $1.34 million surplus in the program budget. NCED supported a $39 million training and conferencing operation, with a headquarters budget cost of only $17 million.

NCED provided critical support to core business and employee development. The Center delivered automation and motor vehicle maintenance and operations courses, as well as environmental compliance and automation management programs. It continued to offer more than a dozen technical and administrative courses for postal supervisors, and programs such as elevator maintenance and natural-gas vehicles for non-postal clients. Staff conducted 280 courses, in 2,770 class offerings, for 37,900 postal employees. Efforts continued to cultivate other educational partnerships with non-postal business groups.

The Oklahoma Center transmitted more than 3,475 hours of Postal Satellite Training Network (PSTN) programming. NCED originated more than 1,330 broadcast hours of course and technical information and it transmitted another 2,135 broadcast hours originated elsewhere, including the Business and Management Channel, the Center for Leadership Development, USPS-TV, and Southeast Area District programs. Using both PSTN and PATN (Postal Audio Teletraining Network), NCED delivered 23 distance-learning courses to 12,320 employees in their home offices, for 128,980 total distance-learning training hours.

The Center also implemented and enhanced the new web-based Automated Enrollment System, improving user interface and accounting capabilities supporting revenue generation.

            1. Major NCED Accomplishments
During 2001, NCED listed its major accomplishments as follows:

        c. William F. Bolger Center for Leadership Development
The Bolger Center continues to strive toward becoming self-reliant. In 2001, the Center generated $4.3 million in cash revenue from external business along with $9 million in Journal Voucher Transfers from postal customers. Phase III of the Center’s master construction plan is providing a campus environment that has been enriched by the rerouting of roadways, allowing for a more collegiate look and adequate parking for all guests. In addition, it remedied several Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and safety issues that required action.

The Bolger Center was designated as the Continuity of Operations Plan site for headquarters’ critical functions in the event of an emergency affecting operations at headquarters. The program was tested on September 11, 2001, and a comprehensive plan has been written to ensure that the Center can provide the Postal Service with the capability to continue performing its essential functions in the event of an emergency or disaster situation.

The opening of a Postmark America store was popular with Center customers, with revenue exceeding forecasts by 80 percent during the first 10 months of the year.

A total of forty-five Advanced Leadership Program groups have completed the first phase of the program. Thirty-eight of these groups have completed Phase II. Some 1,882 participants have enrolled in the program to date. Also, 201 ALP participants submitted certificate of completion forms with official transcripts, signaling their completion of all program requirements for the next program graduation, held on March 4, 2002. The Center hosted several first-time initiatives during the past year. The first in a series of Strategic Direction Seminars was held on July 31, 2001, for ALP participants and interested PCES managers. The seminar was sponsored by Human Resources and Strategic Planning, and provided the opportunity to hear from key figures within and outside the Postal Service on issues of strategic importance to the business. Two training sessions for Event Planning and Coordination were held for headquarters and Mid-Atlantic budget coordinators and meeting planners. Also, a Processing and Distribution Management class was added to the course offerings at the Center. It focuses on the core operational aspects of the plant manager position. Since its kick-off at the Center, 121 participants have successfully completed the course.

The Media Unit produced 41 PSTN broadcasts, which amounted to more than 70 hours of broadcasting. Thirty videos were produced, which earned several Telly and Videographer Awards in recognition of their excellence. These videos included Ethics Survivor, E-Travel, and ALP – Your Pathway to the Future. The Media Unit also produced several Resource Management Updates for Employee Resource Management, which helped to inform employees about the successful implementation of this program nationwide. After the September 11 incidents, the Media Unit assisted Public Affairs and Communications with production of videos detailing the activities of the Continuity of Operations Group at Bolger. During the anthrax emergency, the Media Unit produced a PSTN broadcast on proper cleaning procedures for mail processing equipment and a video describing the proper use of respirators and gloves for all postal employees. These productions assisted senior postal management in their mission of keeping postal employees informed at a very crucial time in the Postal Service.