EEO Academy to open--EOD AA/EEO Unit, September 2006

EEO Academy to open
--EOD AA/EEO Unit, September 2006

EEO professionals, human resources officers, attorneys, mediators and other state employees responsible for implementing Equal Employment Opportunity laws are invited to participate in the new EEO Academy, which is offering 31 one-hour classes this fall.

The mission of the academy, which is sponsored by the Equal Opportunity Division’s Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Unit, is to enhance professionalism by providing leadership and continuing education in EEO to EEO and other human resources professionals.

The curriculum covers a wide range of topics, including best practices for investigating discrimination complaints; discriminatory harassment; Title Vll, including discrimination based on sex, religion and race; cultural diversity; mediation techniques; workplace tolerance; EEO legal trends; and EEO compliance requirements, including construction compliance as well as Encouraging Diversity, Growth and Equity (EDGE) and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) program compliance.

“EEO training is essential for any professional managing EEO- or human resources-related programs. Specialized coursework in the field of equal employment opportunity will only serve to enhance the level of EEO programming competency,” said Wiley Clodfelder, State of Ohio EEO coordinator and deputy director of the Equal Opportunity Division.

“This is our first attempt to implement EEO training of this magnitude and our speakers are among some of the State of Ohio’s best and brightest. We’re looking forward to a successful learning experience for all participants,” Clodfelder said.

Classes, which will be taught by subject matter experts from the public and private sectors, will be held each Thursday during October as well as Wednesday, Nov. 1. The Oct. 5 and 26 sessions as well as the Nov. 1 session will be held at the Ohio Department of Transportation, 1980 W. Broad St. The sessions on Oct. 12 and 19 will be held at the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, 1111 E. Broad St.

Participants may register for as few as one class. Those completing 22 classes will receive a Certificate of Achievement. Those completing 10 of the 12 EEO law classes will receive a Certificate of Specialization. The certificates will be conferred at a semiformal graduation ceremony on Nov. 1.

Attorneys may receive up to 19 Continuing Legal Education credit units for completing the EEO Academy’s legal track.

The EEO Academy course description booklet, which includes instructor bios, as well as the class schedule and online registration application are available at the Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Unit’s Web site at http://das.ohio.gov/Eod/EODAAEEOOff.htm.

The registration deadline is Sept. 29. Because space is limited, enrollment will close if a class reaches capacity. Participants requiring supervisor approval are asked to obtain approval prior to registering.

For more information about the EEO Academy, please contact Felicia Godbolt, AA/EEO program manager, at felicia.godbolt@das.state.oh.us or (644) 466-8380.