Scientific and Technical Employee Development (STED)
Conference Call March 25, 2010

Committee members:

Meeting Introduction:

• Bob Hainly opened the teleconference and reviewed the agenda.

Comments on the minutes from the January 2010 teleconference

• No comments were received.

External Communication

• CR Data Conference (May 2010) – Bill is on plenary session agenda
• WR Area meeting (February 2010) – completed, nothing formal presented
• NRP gathering (May 2010) – Harry has request in to be included in agenda
• National WQ & OWQ Conference (April 2010) – Franceska to provide QW Principles demo

FY2010 HR Initiative Proposal Status – Alan

• Intro of program from Alan for benefit of newer members
• $68K this year
• RFP to go out soon (1-2 Weeks); deadline mid-May

Training Needs Survey – Alan

• Ready to go - Matt Larsen to distribute (Alan to work with Steve B.)
• Looking at courses that supervisor will use and pay for

QW Principles TEL course update

• Beta test going on now
• Expect update at next meeting

SW Policy and Procedures TEL course update – Mike

• Beta-testing also - reviews are done, some voice-over needed
• Looking for new employees to take initial test
• Upload to Breeze server will allow tracking
• Will be available through DOI Learn
• Will be required course for streamflow proficiency

Essential and Recommended / Core Courses – Mike, Dave, Franceska

• No report at this time

Regional Co-op Education – Bill

• Looking at curriculums at nearby schools
• Will tap in to Joyce's experience
• Suggesting to review available curriculums - 2-yr. technical schools

    develop and apply rating system
    provide ranked curriculum list to supervisors
• Use results to provide range of best to acceptable curriculum for USGS

STED “business” web page update – Barb

• "Simple" pages - working files are now on NatWeb
• Development pages are being stored
• Pages are on OED and NatWeb servers (for now)
• ACTION ITEM – Barb will send URL for new web page location

Development of Web Page

• Add webmaster to Committee?
• ACTION ITEM – Lynn to ask them if they would like to join us
• Let them pick the communication method - full time, part time, ad hoc?
• Allow committee members to be "hands on" along with webmaster?
• Webmaster to attend limited number of meetings with committee on focused tasks?
• ACTION ITEM – Mike, send development page to provide content ideas to webmaster
• We know format will change
• ACTION ITEM – Mike, send business page – committee would like to keep it available
• Committee will need help with posting
• ACTION ITEM – Bob, send e-mail to committee with webmaster contacts

Tuition Policy Follow up

• SW Procedures - no tuition to USGS or public
• QW Principles -ACTION ITEM – Alan, talk to Lou Pectol about administrative issues