Federally Employed Women - National Training Program

FEW's National Training Program
A History of Quality Training

Training has been a major objective of FEW since its inception. Aware that federally employed women needed quality training in career development and help in developing their leadership potential, FEW sponsored its first annual training conference in the summer of 1970 - just two years after its founding. The conference consisted of a keynote address by Kentucky Senator Marlowe Cook and four training sessions. From this beginning, FEW's annual conference has grown to one offering more than 150 workshops and attended by more than 2000 women and men.

The annual training conference remained in Washington DC until 1976 when it was held in San Francisco. The move to a region outside the Washington DC area proved to be successful; for the first time, there were more than 1000 attendees. That year also brought a name change - to the National Training Program (NTP) - to better reflect FEW's emphasis on providing superior training to women in the federal workforce. The NTP has moved from region to region since the mid 1970s having been held throughout the country.

FEW's three primary training objectives have been reflected in the workshops offered at National Training Programs:

Increasing employees' knowledge of the federal systems, rules and regulations under which they work.
Helping attendees acquire knowledge of career planning and development techniques.
Enhancing personal effectiveness and awareness of issues that impact women.

As the NTP evolved, more-conference training was added in 1974. Both professional management consultants and government agencies provide today's pre-conference training sessions. Each year various federal agencies reach large numbers of their employees by offering special training sessions geared specifically to the mission of the Agency. A popular trend in the agency training has been to address equal employment opportunity issues including the Federal Women's Program.

Networking is another important aspect of the NTP. Because of the large number of attendees - women and men - from across the country and overseas, who represent many government agencies, the NTP provides an excellent opportunity for making new contacts and renewing old ones. One popular location for networking is the Exhibit Hall. Exhibits became a part of the NTP in 1974 and have continued through the years. A typical NTP Exhibit Hall contains booths run by government agencies, management and training consultants, FEW chapters and regions, private sector companies with a product line aimed at the federal population, and other vendors.

Now in its 34th year, FEW's National Training Program will offer something for everyone. But first and foremost, the NTP will offer quality training aimed at helping women reach their full potential and advance in their federal careers.

Proposals for the 2003 NTP will be accepted until October 30, 2002.

Invitation to Present at the 2003 NTP!