ALEXANDRIA, Va.-NCUA is bringing 1,190 staff to Orlando over the next two weeks to focus on improving examiner performance and exam program consistency, and is spending $1.3 million in the process.
NCUA's event comes in the wake of news that the Government Services Administration recently spent $823,000 on an event for 300 of its employees. The GSA, which was created to make government spending more efficient, was widely criticized and its leadership sacked, for the meeting that included expenses for team-building exercises and even a mind reader as entertainment. By contrast, NCUA's $1.3 million covers four times the attendees as the GSA meeting, and no entertainment of any kind is planned.
NCUA's National Training Conference brings together the agency's entire field team, regional offices, administrative staff, and administrative support to the Buena Vista Palace Hotel. The objective is to focus on training examiners and providing guidance for the regional offices to improve consistency in the exam program across the country, said Executive Director David Marquis. At the meeting the agency is rolling out a new national supervision policy manual and interest rate risk rule.
According to Marquis, the Orlando hotel was chosen because it had the room configuration the meeting required and because it was less expensive than holding the training in Washington or Alexandria, Va. where NCUA is headquartered. "The government-rate hotel and per diem costs are much lower in Orlando than Alexandria or D.C. Holding the training in Orlando saves $340,000 on rooms alone."
Marquis sai NCUA typically incurs a cost of $295 for lodging and the per diem daily someone comes to D.C. for education. "In Orlando we will pay daily, per person, $111 on lodging and $56 per diem."
NCUA estimated that 300 of the attendees are based in the D.C. area.
Meeting Held Every Two Years
The National Training Conference is held every two years, replacing one of two weeks of mandatory annual examiner training. While the meeting spans two weeks, staff stay only five nights, attending in two waves, April 16-20 and April 23-27. The agency estimated that airfare will run an additional $494,000, and is not included in the $1.3-million budget, since costs for examiner travel are reflected in the regional budgets. NCUA pointed out that since the meeting replaces a week of examiner training field staff would travel to attend, the field staff portion of the $494,000 is incurred every year.
NCUA said that the hotel waived meeting room rental charges when the agency booked enough rooms and nights to receive the discount. John Kutchey, deputy executive director, emphasized that the travel and accompanying expenses are justified, not only due to the attention to cost savings, but to accommodate the type of classroom training that's needed to work closely with the field team. NCUA is providing its own trainers.
"This is not training that can be delivered online. It's lengthy, and over half of our staff have less than five years' experience," said Kutchey. "In this learning environment, part of what we will do is pair up our more senior staff with our new examiners. They will provide counseling and their perspective on how to solve cases."
