IT Training Any Time, Anywhere

The following article is a guest post by Victoria Peterson, Technical Writer-Editor at the School of Applied Information Technology (SAIT) at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI).

The 美国国务院 workforce is large and dispersed. This sometimes requires FSI to adjust to field needs and consider post budgets and location as we develop and deliver training. Seeking to promote a culture of life-long learning at the Department, FSI has embraced different learning methodologies and modes of course delivery to ensure that employees in the field receive the training they need, when and where they need it. FSI’s Adjunct Faculty Program is one of many ways FSI extends its reach and supports the professional development of Department employees around the world.?

Presently, more than 150 Adjunct Faculty members -- mostly Locally Employed (LE) Staff, but also Eligible Family Members and Direct-hire employees -- deliver FSI training for credit at posts and Regional Training Centers across the globe. Adjuncts are trained and certified to teach tradecraft, technical, and soft-skills courses, including, but not limited to, the following: ??

• Customer Service,?
• LE Staff Supervisory and Leadership Skills,?
• Consular Management,?
• Basic Human Resources,?
• Motor Pool Training,?
• Property Management, and?
• Technology (Microsoft Office, Data Acumen, etc.).?

Meeting students where they are located and in their time zones can be challenging, but FSI’s Adjunct Faculty staff make it possible.??

Earlier in August, FSI’s School of Applied Information Technology (SAIT) welcomed 24 SAIT Adjunct Faculty instructors from 21 different posts to FSI’s campus in Arlington, VA for a four-day workshop to connect, collaborate, and meet leadership and counterparts from FSI, the Bureau of Information Resource Management (IRM), and the Center for Analytics.?

Gathered in FSI’s Building B, a brand-new facility designed to support events like these, SAIT’s Adjunct Faculty instructors learned about school updates, participated in networking opportunities, and received training on course registration, evaluation, emerging technology, and newly developed courses. They also attended a special module facilitated by FSI’s School of Professional and Area Studies (SPAS) on DEIA in the Classroom and a module on Power Apps hosted by their own Adjunct Faculty colleagues.??

The workshop hosted guest speakers from FSI LE Staff Training and Development, the Center for Analytics, and IRM's Systems and Integration Office and eDiplomacy Office who briefed the Adjunct Faculty on their respective programs, upcoming changes, and new initiatives. One highlight of the workshop was a special session with IRM's Deputy Chief Information Officer’s (DCIOs) Laura Williams and Jeffrey Johnson, where they learned more about the Department’s IT strategy straight from IRM leadership.?

The workshop was a great way to reset and learn about new opportunities within FSI and the Department as well as to acknowledge the importance of our Adjunct Faculty colleagues and the classes that they teach, which provide critical IT education to technical and non-technical personnel across the Department workforce.?