ACT-IAC Academy Debuts its Federal IT Education Program

Enroll Now for Leadership, Project Management and Best Practices Training

FAIRFAX, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Council for Technology and the Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) today announced the ACT-IAC Academy, a new education and training program exclusively designed for and open to all in the federal IT community—both government and industry. The Academy features curricula on project management, leadership and best practices — three priority areas of learning revealed in an ACT-IAC commissioned survey of the training needs for the federal IT community.

“For the first time, the broader community can benefit from the brain trust and distinguishing collaborative approach to learning that the ACT-IAC Academy offers”

“As we know, the government market has distinct requirements and challenges, and progress necessitates a commitment to learning and collaboration,” said Mary Davie, ACT Chair. “As a lifelong student and longtime ACT member, I believe the ACT-IAC Academy fills a clear void for federal IT-focused training.”

The ACT-IAC Academy emphasizes interactive, experiential learning so that government and industry can share ideas and best practices. The curricula promote discussion around case studies, experiential learning, and cross-agency, cross-generational and cross-sector collaboration in a highly collaborative learning environment. Initially, courses will range from one-half day to a full day and will be provided in the Washington, D.C. area.

Veteran government IT experts will serve as facilitators for the following courses currently available in the fall and winter semesters:

• Project Management – Tied to recent Office of Personnel Management project management training requirements, attendees will learn to navigate the complicated federal world of management – going beyond basic project management to focus exclusively on areas that apply to government:
  • Executive Overview on Earned Value Management
  • The Integrated Baseline Review as a Key Element of an Earned Value Management System
  • Analytics, Dashboards and Performance: Some Tools for Managers and Executives
• Leadership – Attendees will obtain actionable knowledge and tools to help advance them to the next level within their organizations as the next generation of leaders:
  • Leading People to Work Together as a Team
  • Leading Change in Ambiguous and Turbulent Times
  • Is Your Virtual Team Really Working?
  • Courageous Decision-Making: Dealing with Multiple Competing Mandates
• Best Practices – One organization’s success can be applied to another. Sharing past examples of successful projects and solutions enables attendees to share ideas and learn from other’s successes:
  • Risk & Opportunity for Technology in Government Reform
  • Social Media, Collaboration and Knowledge Management – Understanding and Planning for their Impact on Your Organization
  • Technology Leadership and Change in a Knowledge Society

“For the first time, the broader community can benefit from the brain trust and distinguishing collaborative approach to learning that the ACT-IAC Academy offers,” said Jim Beaupre, IAC Chair. “By creating an interactive learning environment tailored to the government market, attendees will collaborate on problems and solutions and will take away actionable tools, knowledge and models of success that can be applied to their organizations.”

The Academy is a natural extension of ACT-IAC’s current educational and professional development programs including its Partners and Voyagers Programs. As with all of ACT-IAC’s educational offerings, the ACT-IAC Academy provides attendees the opportunity to obtain Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and Professional Development Units (PDUs) that can be used to maintain professional certifications. To enroll for the ACT-IAC Academy or to obtain information on course offerings and schedules, please visit: http://www.actgov.org/education/academy/Pages/default.aspx.

American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council is a non-profit educational organization established in 1979 to assist government in acquiring and using information technology resources effectively. In 1989 ACT established the Industry Advisory Council (IAC) to bring industry and government executives together to collaborate on IT issues of interest to the government. In 1997 ACT established the Intergovernmental Advisory Board (IAB) to foster communication and collaboration between IT and other executives at all levels of federal service – Federal, state, local and tribal governments. Learn more about our organization and how to become a member at www.actgov.org or call [phone].