Don’t Let Your U.S. Government Training Budget Go to Waste

The ExitCertified Team | Monday, July 13, 2020

Don’t Let Your U.S. Government Training Budget Go to Waste

Life is full of unexpected changes (as demonstrated by 2020), but we’ve seen just how adaptable people can be. And while we never know what’s coming next, there are some constants that haven’t changed — such as the need for ongoing training to keep up with modernization efforts and compulsory Department of Defense (DoD) training requirements. 

U.S. government agencies face continued pressure to modernize systems, provide IT services and enhance data security, and keeping up with the latest trends and best practices requires a skilled and trained workforce. To that end, the U.S. federal government requires that its employees receive technology training and sets an approved budget that must be accounted for by the annual September deadline. But with obstacles in abundance as well as the push toward more remote learning, completing traditional training classes before the budget cutoff may seem impossible. However, with the right training vendor and strategy, not only can you comply with mandated training, but you may also be able to stretch your budget and exceed your department’s training goals.

Optimize Learning Outcomes and Close Skills Gaps

Government agencies regularly focus training on IT modernization and cybersecurity as they pertain to focused solutions, including specific cloud or infrastructure vendor systems. Depending on your area, finding local courses that fit those needs may be difficult, if not impossible. Your team needs training, but it’s important that the courses they take focus on skills that will make the most impact toward your team’s objectives.

When deciding on focus areas for employee training, keep in mind the technology your department uses. Then, find a training vendor that is certified to deliver the content your team needs to make an immediate impact. For example, if your department is modernizing on Google Cloud and your team needs cybersecurity training, you can optimize your training outcomes by finding courses for security as it relates to Google Cloud.

Rethink Your Preferred Training Delivery Method

Traditionally, IT training has been an “out-of-office” experience. You schedule a class, perhaps book a flight and hotel and travel to the training vendor location for the course duration. While these exercises have merit in helping learners focus solely on the training course for the time they’re in attendance, onsite classroom training may not be always be practical, available or affordable.

Fortunately, you can find training options online to help you meet your DoD requirements. Many online training platforms are now fully mature and secure solutions that can offer the same in-depth experience and successful learning outcomes as their traditional classroom counterparts. In fact, you can now attend live, instructor-led courses through virtual learning and receive an experience that’s as immersive and engaging as being in a physical classroom — but without the cost, time and risk associated with travel.

Accelerate DoD Training Procurement Without Cutting Corners

For most government agencies, training procurement starts early in the year. By working with a vendor that offers special GSA pricing for a broad portfolio of courses that are offered through a variety of online delivery modalities, you can quickly schedule your staff for the training they need — no matter how close to the budget cutoff deadline you are.

When looking for a training vendor, make sure they comply with DoD 8570.01 and DoDD 8140.01 Training Requirements regarding the Information Assurance Workforce Improvement and Cyberspace Workforce Management Directives. And if your department cannot accommodate online training, make sure the courses you need can be taught on site at a location of your choosing.

By partnering with a training vendor that is accustomed to working within the stringent security requirements of federal agencies, you gain access to a range of solutions that comply with your specific needs so you can meet or exceed your fiscal year training requirements.

Save on Costs for U.S. Government Technology Training

With over 9,500 vendor-certified technology training courses available at special GSA pricing, ExitCertified is an expert in DoD training. Your staff can benefit from online, instructor-led courses through ExitCertified’s Live Virtualonline platform. Through Live Virtual, individual staff members or complete teams can attend live courses from the comfort of their home or office, led by instructors who are experts in both vendor technologies and keeping everyone engaged no matter where they’re learning. With two-way, high-definition audio and video, learners can get their questions answered quickly, participate in hands-on activities and receive real-time support. This economical solution eliminates the cost, time and risk of travel, enabling you to stretch your training budget and exceed goals by offering a wider variety of training courses to more members of your staff. And the Live Virtual platform has been tested successfully in DoD and other heavily secure environments, so you can be confident in your choice for virtual training.

As Training Partner of the Year for AWS, VMware and Red Hat, and with similar esteemed recognitions from IBM, ForgeRock and TrainingIndustry.com, ExitCertified gives your team the opportunity to learn foundational and in-depth topics on the technology solutions your department uses. Upon completion, your staff will bring practical knowledge to your agency that they can apply immediately, as well as the confidence to complete tasks and pass on what they’ve learned to fellow team members.

The new ExitCertified.com online quoting system that makes it easy to get the training you need with our GSA-approved price list. Here’s how you can take advantage of GSA pricing:

Option 1: Buy Online

Log in or register for an ExitCertified.com account using your government email domain. (We have an approved list of nearly 200 government email domains.) Once you’re logged in, navigate to the course(s) you’re looking to purchase and simply process the order. If you notice your price isn’t getting discounted at checkout, please reach out to us at customerexp@exitcertified.com. (View our list of approved email domains).

Option 2: Generate an Online Quote

Find the course(s) you are looking to get a price for and click "Generate a Quote" on the correct option. Next, complete your quote contact details and make sure to check off that you are “Eligible for General Services Administration (GSA) pricing.” Your quote will then be generated in a PDF.

  • If you’re looking for a complete GSA price list, use the request button below. 
  • If you are using a personal email domain such as Gmail or Hotmail, we recommend generating an online quote.
  • For a step-by-step guide, please view our video: How to Generate a Quote
  • Please note: Your email domain is not required to be on the approved list to generate a quote with GSA pricing.

ExitCertified also offers creative solutions for training budgeting. You can take advantage of learning subscriptions that allow your teams 24/7 access to high-quality, vendor-approved training through online, self-paced modules. And with your training subscription, your team will have access to exclusive content and live support from ExitCertified’s expert instructors.  Talk to an ExitCertified dedicated Government Education Services Consultant today to learn more about our special GSA pricing and create a learning path that meets the needs of everyone on your team.

Download the ExitCertified whitepaper, “How to Ensure Maximum ROI on IT Initiatives with the Right Learning Partner" to discover how a learning partner can support you in all stages of planning, implementing, and enabling high-quality training that aligns business and IT initiatives.