Intent

• While the act has been amended several times since its passage, Paragraph 3 of Section 2 of GETA makes the intent of the act clear. It is intended to improve public service, provide a more efficient workforce in the areas of expense and employee turnover and retain a well-educated workforce that is aware of developments in and out of government. From an administrative side, the intent is to provide uniform training and to ensure that all federal employees are treated equally in regard to job improvement.
  
  

Agencies Who Qualify

• According to Title 5 of the U.S. Code, Chapter 41, which is related to GETA, the following government agencies are eligible for training--an Executive Branch department, independent establishments, government corporations, the Library of Congress and the Government Printing Office. Among the agencies that aren't eligibe are privately held corporations supervised by the Farm Credit Administration, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the U.S. Postal Service.
  
  

Rules and Regulations

• Title 5 of Federal Regulations Part 410 spells out what agencies can and cannot do in relation to training. The seven-part regulation, also related to GETA, regulates training planning, establishment and implementation of training, paying for the expense of training, acceptance of financial contributions from non-government sources, evaluation of training and reporting of those evaluations. This was revised in 1996 to give agencies more flexibility in training restrictions.
  
  

Types of Training

• GETA outlines a wealth of training options for government employees. It provides a Web site, acinet.org, which employees can use to help plan their careers. Federal employees are also eligible for help with such things as securing an academic degree in relation to their career, required agency, interagency and federal training, ethical issues, procurement of training and professional credentials, worksite educational programs and more.
  
  

Mentoring

• Mentoring is also considered a part of GETA. Some governmental development programs use a mentoring program. Other agencies use one that stands alone. The intent is the same. A senior official within that department provides help to a younger employee in the areas of career knowledge and skills, in the hope that such a relationship will allow the younger employee to acclimate faster to his new job and that the younger employee will stay with the agency longer.