Assessment of Postal Services Training Centers – 13YG014HR000

  • Directorate:
  • Human Resources and Support
  • Program Area:
  • Human Resources & Support
  • Responsible Postal Official:
  • Start Date:
  • 01-10-2013
  • Estimated Report Date:

AUDIT OVERVIEW

The W.F. Bolger Center for Leadership Development and the National Center for Employee Development (NCED) facilities provide space for Postal Service employees to learn new postal systems, procedures, or technologies. Bolger administers national leadership, management, and professional programs, while NCED provides technical maintenance programs for bargaining and non-bargaining employees. Both centers are self-contained campuses with classrooms, conference facilities, housing, dining and related services. The training and developmental activities are based on need requirements and demand; and currently, the Postal Service provides majority of its employee training in-house. If such training is not available by the Postal Service, non-postal training may be provided. In addition, each District has an employee development center (PEDC) that support operational needs by providing local training assistance to employees. The Postal Service’s Areas and Districts are responsible for their employees training expenses. As a result, Areas and Districts pay the training centers tuition fees to take courses.

In 2010, the Bolger center generated more than $15.8 million by leasing its facilities to external customers. In 2001, the NCED was mandated to become self-funding and independent of Postal Service’s budget by 2005. To accomplish this goal, the training centers would generate revenue by charging tuition fees to the Area and Districts employees attending training. In addition, revenue would be generated by leasing its facilities to external customers. The Bolger and NCED training centers reported income from Postal customers of over $29.6 million in 2011.

How can the Postal Service maximize the use of the Bolger and NCED training centers?

5 Comments

  1. Auditor /

    How can the Postal Service improve the use of the Bolger and NCED training centers?

  2. I hope the income reported is more then the expense line of these facilities. If in fact, the facilities are generating income, that is great.

    I have to admit I am only posting as I wanted to state the last training I received was approximately 8 years ago and before that another 8 years prior. In other words, in the field, we get no training. We get instruction from an email attachment and no alloted time to read. Have questions after reading? well . . . answers are hard to find.

    Presently . . . and I am serious about this, the window clerks are at a loss as to how to handle the new “delivery” sticker sent to the office, how to advise customers of their package needs as there has been zero training. I have heard 3 different versions of how that sticker is to be used. District training? what is that?

    So speaking from the perspective that the current workforce WANTS to educate the public of our products and is on their own personal computer at home looking for instruction in how to do their job better, it is appauling to read that the OIG wants to know how to improve the revenue at a training facility that no one I know will ever use.

    If you can tell me about the new “tracking” service we have, how to explain that service to the public, maybe explain when will that tracking number I have provided them on their receipt will actually be trackable, as it isn’t that cut and dry as we are presenting to the customers presently. (8 hours out and it still wasn’t in the system?) Or maybe provide some accurate info for EDDM that keeps changing the guidelines and cost so those in the field can sell the product with confidence.

    Training? How ’bout the OIG investigate the training of the window clerks?

    Okay, off my soap box.

  3. OIG TEAM MEMBER /

    What practices do you believe the Postal Service should implement to improve the Bolger and NCED training centers?

  4. OIG TEAM MEMBER /

    If you have attended training at either the Bolger or NCED centers, what are your thoughts and experiences?

  5. OIG TEAM MEMBER /

    What are your opinions on the Bolger and NCED training centers? What are your suggestions for improvements?

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