Laboratory announces more resources for workforce development

Contact: David Lyons, davidlyons@lanl.gov, (505) 665-9198 (00-058)

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LOS ALAMOS, N.M., April 19, 2000 -- Workers at the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory have gained a new resource for professional development opportunities. The new workforce development program, called learning@lanl, provides Laboratory workers with tools to assess professional strengths, classes on résumé writing and interviewing skills, a three-day "High-Performance Institute" focusing on worker performance and productivity, special events tailored to specific groups of the workforce and a mentoring program.

"The idea behind learning@lanl is to provide our workforce with all of the necessary tools for a long and successful career at the Laboratory," said Joe Salgado, deputy Laboratory director for Business Administration and Outreach.

"This new program provides additional support for Laboratory Director John Browne's continuing efforts to improve the quality of work-life for Laboratory workers. We recognize that our people are our most important asset, and it's critical that they be given the resources to excel in their current jobs and to enhance opportunities for career advancement," he said.

Portions of learning@lanl have already been made available to the workforce. Career Builders, a resource for writing effective résumés, expanding networks and improving interviewing skills, began in February. Similarly, the second workforce development special event, TEC2000 Events, started last month. TEC2000 Events is a series of career and personal development workshops geared specifically toward Laboratory technicians.

The Human Resources' Training and Development Group operates learning@lanl, which is comprised of six components. Helga Christopherson, HR division director, said feedback from workers so far has been positive. Christopherson noted that the Career Builders courses already are booked through the end of April. Additional courses are being added.

In addition to Career Builders and TEC2000 Events, learning@lanl includes:

• Assessment tools-For many workers, these tools are the first step in understanding their own professional strengths and weaknesses. Based on a self-assessment, workers can develop appropriate development and training plans to meet their goals.
• High-Performance Institute-In this course, workers interact with instructors and with their peers from across the Laboratory, focusing on creative problem-solving, meeting customer needs, developing skills to work across organizational boundaries and understanding how external pressures impact their work.
• Education and Development-learning@lanl provides courses taught by Laboratory workers and by outside experts to further the technical and professional development of workers. Laboratory employees are also eligible in some cases for tuition assistance to enroll in degree programs or courses at the National Technological University, Stanford University, and the University of New Mexico. Some of the courses are provided through "distance learning" programs that are taught via video-teleconferencing.
• Mentoring Program-This program provides opportunities for workers from different organizations within the Laboratory to pair up and learn from each other's experiences.

All of the learning@lanl programs will be reviewed and updated continually based on feedback from Laboratory workers to ensure that it meets their needs. Workers interested in the program can find more details on the program's Web site at www.hr.lanl.gov/learning or by calling Training and Development at (505) 667-5247.

More news releases from the Human Resources (HR) Division