Employee relations (ER) offers developmental activities aimed at imparting information to enhance ER practitioners' performance. Throughout the year, in collaboration with our Interagency Network of employee and labor relations leaders, we provide training opportunities such as:

• The Professional Development Series (PDS) - sessions are offered to specialists government-wide and include detailed instruction from recognized experts on basic, intermediate, and advanced subject matter.
• Employee and Labor Relations Roundtable discussions feature guest speakers from government and the private sector and cover topics of interest to human resource professionals and practitioners.

The Professional Development Series (PDS) is sponsored by the Employee and Labor Relations Interagency Network, and Partnership and Labor Relations. PDS was implemented to assist Federal employee relations, human resource practitioners, and agency managers interested in perfecting the skills needed for successful job performance. The course modules selected for PDS focus on issues and topics of interest to employee and labor relations specialists and other practitioners that advise management on performance, conduct, or other workplace issues.

Roundtable discussions feature guest speakers and subject matter experts that are recognized experts in Federal employment law, rule, and practice. These discussions provide an opportunity for attendees to listen, learn, and ask questions. Roundtables are presented as part of an ongoing effort to bring relevant and reliable information to Federal sector employee and labor relations practitioners.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management sponsors an inter-agency Employee and Labor Relations (ELR) Network. Agencies participate by designating appropriate staff members representing their employee relations and labor relations functions as Network members. OPM hosts a bi-monthly meeting where members discuss new and emerging trends within the field of employee and labor relations, significant decisions that have been issued by MSPB, FLRA and the courts, as well as issues that a Network member may want to discuss with the group. The Network also collaborates to sponsor projects developed by workgroups members in support of the Employee and Labor Relations profession. One of the major projects were the Professional Development Series (PDS) which was developed for employee and labor relations practitioners ranging from the novice to the expert level.

We currently have approximately 120 members representing more than 70 agencies and their major components. The ELR Network is made up of employee and labor relations managers at the department and agency level across the Federal government. If your agency is not represented, we invite you to join this dynamic and highly talented group of professionals by submitting your representative's name, title, telephone number and e-mail address to PLR@opm.gov.