Training and THE STATE SOIL SCIENTIST

1. The State Soil Scientist and Technical Soil Services Training and THE STATE SOIL SCIENTIST

2. Rationale Everyone has primary responsibility for their own training, but the State Soil Scientist must also provide State leadership and coordination of soils training for staff and all other disciplines in NRCS, state agencies, and other users of soil survey information in the state. To do this, you should be aware of what NRCS and the Soil Science Division (SSD) have to offer to help this process.

3. Objectives • Utilize the resources provided by the Soil Science Division to insure staff meet all competencies needed to perform their job. • Utilize the resources provided by the Soil Science Division to lead training efforts for all other disciplines in NRCS, state agencies, and other users of soil survey information in the state.

4. Assessment of learning • As you complete this module, you will be asked to “Snip” a few screen shots to show your instructors where you have been on the training web pages. • Open a Power Point file, paste you snips there, name the file as shown here, and email to you cadre as instructed. • Training-your first name last name.ppt

5. Your staff’s training

6. Training Needs Inventory • As State Soil Scientist, you may find yourself on the state training committee and therefore will be aware of the annual request for the Training needs Inventory (TNI) from NEDC.

7. Training Needs Inventory • This is essentially a head count and NEDC places a course in their FY schedule based on the head count and their budget

8. Individual Development Plan • You may have staff whom you will want to insure meet competencies for the tasks they are asked to perform. You will do this as you help staff maintain their Individual Development Plan (IDP) in Aglearn.

9. Example-Hydric soils • You have responsibility for identifying hydric soils for USDA programs. You and your staff and others involved need to be up to speed on this and the relationship to hydrology and vegetation for wetland identification.

10. Example-Conservation planning • You, your staff, and others involved need to be up to speed on soil surveys contribution to conservation planning, including the eFOTG, evaluating sites remotely and onsite, writing reports, etc.

11. Example-Approval Authority for Adjusting Soil Property Data for conservation planning • You may have responsibility to insure that staff and others in the state who need to meet performance levels for job approval authority for adjusting soils data for conservation planning have the proper competencies.

12. Competencies

13. Individual Development Plan • The Soil Science Division has developed training plans, lists of target training, and syllabuses of learning that should also help you in developing competencies both short term and long term for you and your staff

14. Supervisors and Aglearn • Aglearn+ Supervisor course

15. Your other internal customers • Remember your responsibility for soils training for all other disciplines within NRCS, the SWCDs, and our sister agencies.

16. Your external customers • As Liaison from soil survey to land grant institutions in your state, you may have opportunities to open a 2-way street for training via that relationship. • What could the university provide to help you and your staff • What could you provide the university to help them prepare the next generation of soil scientists, environmental scientists, agronomists, etc.

17. Your external customers • Don’t rule out other colleges and universities not part of the land grant system. They may have environmental sciences or other courses that could include soils related modules. Dialog with these institutions may open this avenue.

18. Your external customers • These external customers could include a very long list of potential training targets. • Realtors • Loan officials • Etc.

19. Your training resources

20. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/soils/home/

23. Syllabuses Provided

24. Specialized Training and Training Plans Scroll to and select

25. Training Plans

26. New soil scientist training plan

27. Summer Employees Training Plan

28. Specialized Training and Training Plans Scroll to and select

29. Training available

30. GIS

31. OJT Modules Scroll and select

32. OJT Modules for the MLRA SSO

33. OJT for non soil scientists

34. SF-182 Instructions for OJT Modules

35. Guidance in Providing OJT

36. Providing OJT

37. NCSS Training Course Materials

38. NCSS Training Course Materials

39. Schedules

40. Schedules

41. Scroll Down Distance Learning Offered by Universities

42. Post Graduate

43. Undergraduate Courses

44. Other Information Available on the NCSS Training Web Pages • Job Aids • Links

45. What’s coming down the road in regards to training?

46. New job aids for OJT with non soil scientists • 21 modules for soil and site properties will be available for use primarily with non soil scientists

47. Summary • Know your time table for IDP and TNI development. • Know where to find your training information and resources. • Take charge of your and your staff’s competency development, it’s your and their career at stake! • Make sure all our non scientist employees and others using soils information are well trained.