The purpose of this regulation is to establish roles and responsibilities to ensure that all Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees receive annual civil rights training.

a During fiscal years (FY) 1998, 1999, and 2000, civil rights training will be conducted according to the plan in the Appendix.

b Any exceptions or variations to this training regulation must be approved by the Director, Office of Civil Rights (CR).

Beginning in FY 1998, comprehensive civil rights training will be conducted annually.

a All USDA employees, including career, non-career, and political appointees, are required to participate in annual civil rights training.

b Departmental civil rights training enhances and supplements, but does not replace, mission area and agency civil rights and diversity training and development programs.

c Agencies must include a civil rights module in all management and supervisory training and orientation programs.

d The effectiveness and impact of annual civil rights training will be evaluated continuously and results will be shared across the Department.

a CR has lead responsibility for planning USDA!s civil rights training program. CR will coordinate with agency designated contact persons on logistical and informational needs before delivery of training. CR will also evaluate the effectiveness of the training program and direct changes to it.

b The Office of Human Resources Management and the USDA training community wM participate in the design, development, and delivery of the annual training to ensure the maximum effectiveness of the training through consideration of adult learning principles and use of appropriate technology.

c Mission areas and agencies will conduct Departmental training in accordance with this regulation and collect and maintain employee participation records for the annual training. Such records will be submitted to the Director, CR, to ensure all employees are trained.

d Mission areas and agencies will support the Department's civil rights training with funding, staff assistance, onsite coordination of training delivery, and by encouraging employees to apply the principles learned in civil rights training in the workplace.

Components:

Sensitivity and Diversity

Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Laws and Regulations

Components:

Program Complaints Process

Sexual Harassment in the Delivery of Services

Cultural Diversity

Program Outreach

Program Delivery

Components:

Sexual Harassment in the workplace

Special Emphasis Programs

EEO Complaint Processing

This training is a prerequisite for all civil rights training, and attendance is mandatory for all employees. The modules in this training session can be used for orientation sessions and as part of the agency's supervisory and management training. The training program is intended to set the foundation for all civil rights training for the Department and includes a component on sensitivity and diversity, and a component on civil rights and EEO laws and regulations.

Target Date: January through September 30, 1998

Target Audience: All Employees

Method of Delivery: Satellite Broadcast and Classroom

Two satellite broadcasts were down linked to more than 600 sites in January 1998. The session was made available on videotape and was distributed for follow-up classroom discussion for those agencies and employees who were not reached by the broadcast.

Target Date: October 1998 through 1999

Target Audience: State and local office staffs and committees, cooperators, and volunteers of agencies with major program delivery responsibilities. These Agencies include the Farm Service Agency; Natural Resources Conservation Service; Forest Service; Rural Development mission area; Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; Risk Management Agency; Food and Nutrition Service; and Foreign Agricultural Service.

Method of Delivery: Classroom

Target Date: FY 1999

Target Audience: All USDA employees who are not required to take the Module II--Program Delivery and Outreach training described in Section "a" above.

Topics: To be developed and delivered by individual agencies under the leadership of CR.

Method of Delivery: Agencies will develop the method of delivery based on individual agency needs under the leadership of CR.

Target Date: FY 2000

Target Audience: All Employees

Method of Delivery: Classroom

A syllabus which includes the course description, objectives, and topics for the above modules has been developed and will be available through CR.

A review of the training plan will be conducted before the beginning of FY 2000. CR will identify training priorities for FY 2000 and beyond and work with the Office of Human Resources Management in the development of a new training plan.