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Target Audience: 

Field managers, program leads, and others with interest and/or responsibilities in developing and maintaining successful partnerships and/or community collaboration. 

Summary and Objectives:  

This course is an interagency applied learning course designed for federal managers, specialists, and frontline supervisors involved in partnership and community collaboration. Curriculum centers on 20 partnership and community collaboration competencies defined by the Office of Personnel Management, The Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service. Participants will learn how to strengthen formal and informal partnerships, foster community engagement, and explore practices and build skills with their interagency peers. The 6-month course, from January to June, includes 18 live 2-hour webinars. Participants meet weekly for two hours, in four seminar sized groups. Attendees may participate on the day and time of their choice based on 4 options. Study Hall weeks interspersed through the course allow participants to enrich and apply their learning through optional activities such as networking sessions, homework, and self-study to make up missed sessions. During webinars, the contracted lead instructors—along with guest instructors from public agencies, the private sector, and the nonprofit community—share knowledge and insights on partnership management, covering topics such as collaborative leadership, entrepreneurship, ethics, evaluation, managing agreements, negotiations, and cultural awareness. 

Visit the website for the course schedule, syllabus and more:

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Build consensus and promote trust
• Facilitate internal and external meetings
• Apply persuasion and negotiation strategies
• Recognize conflict and respond effectively
• Evaluate risk and demonstrate accountability
• Assess partnership performance and impacts
• Leverage resources to build collaborative capacity
• Expand your networks to support partnerships

How to Apply: 

Selection of participants in this interagency course is determined through an application process conducted by the vendor, Partnership & Community Collaboration Academy. Please discuss attendance with your supervisor before applying. Application opens in August. To receive preference in the competitive selection process, apply by October 15. You will be notified of your selection by November 3. Selection is competitive; space is limited to 120 participants.

DO NOT APPLY HERE. To apply for this course, go to:

For more information on this course, please contact your agency training staff. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees, contact David Smaldone, [email protected]. 

Tuition: 

For U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service applicants, the $2,100 tuition fee is the responsibility of the employee’s work unit. You may use SF182 and the government purchase card for payment.

Competency Addressed: 

Partnering - Intermediate, Stakeholder Management - Intermediate, Accountability - Intermediate, Strategic Thinking - Intermediate, Integrity/Honesty - Intermediate, Team Building - Intermediate