Training News from BWSR

Train Tracks NEW

October 2024  


In this issue:


Announcements

Successful Outreach Strategies

The next SOS offering will be a combined in-person training and workshop. Registration will open Oct. 21 and close Nov. 8. The content focus will be an introduction to facilitation and meeting design. For more information on SOS, click here. All sessions will be from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The dates and locations are:

  • Nov. 19, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – St. Cloud
  • Nov. 21, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Mankato
  • Nov. 25, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Bemidji
  • Nov. 26, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Duluth

Technical Training & Certification Program Updates

Technical Training & Certification Program Logo

Complete Your Individual Development Plan by Friday

Individual Development Plans (IDPs) are used by Minnesota’s Technical Training and Certification Program (TTCP) to identify priority technical training needs throughout the state. These training needs provide the foundation for TTCP’s annual training plan. Please complete your IDP by Oct. 18!

Having an accurate assessment of technical training needs is critical to ensure our training delivery will address local needs. There are a couple of things you can do to improve the accuracy of your training needs:

  • Review and update your existing training needs. You identified a training need last year, but is it still a training need? It only takes a few moments to either remove outdated training needs or to update them as a current request. For the coming year, we will not consider any training needs dated prior to Jan. 1, 2024.
  • Be as specific as possible. When requesting training, there is a space to enter additional comments to identify the topic or content of the training you need, such as specific wildlife species or plant regimes.
  • When identifying a practice as a training need you can select which phases – planning, design, construction – you are requesting training on. There is also an option to identify On the Job Training (OJT), classroom, field, or virtual training preferences.
  • If you are a newer employee and need some examples of typical practices by land use, check out the common practices by land use tab in the New Employee Training Guide.

To assist both managers and technical staff in completing IDPs, we have put together several resources. This includes two short videos that have bookmarks so you can jump to the specific section you need help with.

Do you prefer visuals and written instructions? Check out the IDP User Guidance resources.

If you have questions or need further assistance please contact us.

 

ArcGIS Pro Training

Did you miss the ArcGIS Pro Training provided by NRCS earlier this year? Are you not on the USDA network? TTCP will provide a basic ArcGIS Pro training to employees that missed the NRCS training or that are not on the USDA network.  Topics such as importing an ArcMap map, editing shapefiles, and creating maps will be demonstrated. The trainings will take place on Nov. 25 in North Branch and Dec. 9 in Mankato. Both locations will be the exact same training, so you only need to sign up for one. Additional information and a link to register can be found on the Basic ArcGIS Pro page.

 

2024 Shared Training Calendar

An updated working version of the 2024 training calendar is now available. This 12 month view of training offerings is regularly updated and provides information about upcoming training events, including potential dates and locations. Please see the legend at the top and note that the further out a training is proposed the more likely adjustments will need to be made. The dates, locations, and other details are always tentative until the event is posted on the Training Calendar.


Upcoming Training Events

BWSR Sponsored Training Events

  • Oct. 29-31, BWSR Academy, Cragun’s Conference Center/Brainerd
  • Nov. 19, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Hold the date, Successful Outreach Strategies Regional Workshop, St. Cloud

  • Nov. 21, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Hold the date, Successful Outreach Strategies Regional Workshop, Mankato

  • Nov. 25, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Hold the date, Successful Outreach Strategies Regional Workshop, Bemidji

  • Nov. 26, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Hold the date, Successful Outreach Strategies Regional Workshop, Duluth

Minnesota Wetland Professional Certification Program

Minnesota Wetland Professional Certification Program

Upcoming MWPCP Course Schedule:

 

Antecedent Precipitation Tool: St Cloud MNDOT Training Center – Oct. 22 (2 sessions)   

 

More information on each course — including how to register — can be found at the MWPCP website.


Technical Training & Certification Program Trainings

Tech Talk Webinars: Mondays at 1 p.m.

  • Oct. 28 Irrigation Management Assistant (IMA) Tool

 

November

 

December


Related Partner Trainings


Learn on your own

Not all training takes place in a classroom. Check out the links below to learn at a time and place of your choosing.

 

We’ve also put together a searchable library of recorded modules, webinars, videos and other resources to help our staff and partners find professional development information on a variety of topics. You can visit BWSR's Online Learning page to find web based technical training resources sorted by category.

New:


Program Contacts

Barbara Radke
Training Coordinator
(507) 344-2818
 barbara.radke@state.mn.us 
  Jon Sellnow
TTCP Coordinator
(218) 340-3521
jon.sellnow@state.mn.us

David Demmer &
Ben Meyer
MWPCP Coordinators
(218) 464-8289 &
(612) 201-9806
david.demmer@state.mn.us & ben.meyer@state.mn.us