Montana’s Conservation Districts are taking a more systematic approach
towards training their employees. There is no need to recreate the wheel.
Are there states that already have structured employee training
programs? We are looking for both delivery systems and materials or
curriculum for training. A short description of where we are at is provided
below.

If you have a training program or know of someone who does that meets
our needs, please let us know. Thank You

Background
Employee training currently takes a shotgun approach. The Montana
Association of Conservation Districts Employee Organization (MACDEO)
and the Conservation Districts Bureau of the Montana Department of
Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) are looking to create a more
systematic approach.

In most Montana Districts there is only one employee which is called an
administrator (some states call them managers), who is often part-time.

The first two components of our current training system include the “New
Administrator Welcome Wagon” and a biennial statewide training. The
Welcome Wagon occurs within the first 30 days of employment to get them
off and running. The biennial training covers a wider range of general
topics for district employees. That still leaves a lot of training that needs to
be done and we are looking for the best way to fill that void.

David Martin
DNRC - Conservation Districts Bureau
Ph: 406-444-4253