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University joins training initiative for IRS
	Penn State has been selected by ICF Consulting, a global management, technology and policy consulting firm, to provide management development course work as part of a five-year workforce development contract for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).   Under this contract, ICF Consulting provides a broad range of training and distance learning services, working with several university partners to deliver undergraduate- and graduate-level college credit courses and noncredit custom programs to IRS employees nationwide. Courses are delivered online, in the classroom or through a blended learning approach that combines two or more training delivery methods.   ICF Consulting helps customize courses to target improvement in both individual skill levels and organizational performance in 13 program areas, including customer service, taxation, communication and information technology. The opportunity to earn credits, certificates and degrees also can enhance employee recruitment and retention efforts.   The first joint product in the ICF Consulting and Penn State agreement was a custom program in customer satisfaction for IRS customer advocates delivered in the spring. The Customer Satisfaction curriculum included 36 hours of classroom instruction and was designed to enhance the ability of IRS customer advocates to effectively assess and measure customer needs, wants and desires to plan for, implement and monitor customer-driven products and services.   Penn State’s Management Development Programs and Services unit designed the Customer Advocate program, customizing it to the needs of the IRS workforce, and delivered it at the IRS facility in Crystal City, Va.   “Management Development Programs and Services is very happy to be a part of the ICF Consulting initiative,” Dr. Wesley E. Donahue, director of Management Development, said. “Our mission is to help businesses and organizations improve their performance, and this project perfectly fits that mission. We are excited to have this opportunity to develop programs that help our government streamline practices and achieve higher levels of customer satisfaction in ways that can benefit all taxpayers.”