Harrisburg, PA – Secretary of Administration Michael Newsome today praised the efforts of OA staff to deliver training and development to state employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the launch of new courses focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
“Like many schools and universities, we needed to transition from primarily classroom-based to virtual instruction to protect the health of our employees,” said Secretary of Administration Michael Newsome. “Our staff embraced the challenge wholeheartedly while also making the adjustment to remote work for themselves.”
As part of the Wolf administration’s commitment to equal employment opportunity and in light of nationwide protests against racial discrimination that began during the pandemic, OA developed virtual trainings focused on diversity, equity and inclusion for commonwealth employees. A mandatory web-based training is currently being deployed to commonwealth employees and contractors throughout the state.
The diversity, equity and inclusion courses were developed by a collaborative workgroup that included Nicole Tyler, Darice Mayhew, Sara McFadden, Robin Jones and Jeffrey Kreider along with Equal Employment Opportunity Office Director Jacqueline Jackson-DeGarcia.
The OA employees also created several optional training courses, including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Supervisors, Overcoming Unconscious Bias and Appreciating Differences at Work. Additionally, the commonwealth held a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Appreciation Week with daily messages focused on increased understanding of these topics.
“At its core, diversity, equity and inclusion are about a culture of respect. It is about daily behaviors that demonstrate a commitment to everyone feeling relevant and part of the team,” said Jackson-DeGarcia. “It feels good to provide tangible tools to employees in these moments that matter.”
“At a time when our nation is so polarized and divided, accepting others and finding common ground is critical to achieving a more civil society,” said Newsome, who grew up in the midst of racial segregation and, as a student, helped to integrate local high schools in his home town in Virginia.
Prior to the pandemic, OA offered most of its training courses for commonwealth employees in a classroom based, instructor-led format. Today, all training offered by OA is being delivered in either online instructor-led or self-guided web-based formats. In addition to promoting social distancing, virtual and online courses also expand learning opportunities for employees who are not based in the Harrisburg area.
“Learning new skills allows commonwealth employees to be more productive, perform their jobs more effectively and contribute to a more positive working environment, all of which benefit the people they serve,” said Deputy Secretary for Human Resources and Management Reid Walsh. “We are able to develop and deliver much of our training in-house in a manner that is cost effective and relevant to the needs of our workforce.”
During the pandemic, over 4,300 employees have completed virtual courses on topics including but not limited to: Customer Service Fundamentals, Leadership Basics, Webinar Facilitation Techniques, Problem-Solving Skills, Positivity, and Managing Your Stress. Over 11,000 employees have taken self-guided, web-based trainings offered by OA.
