FOIA Training Opportunities for the Beginning of FY 2017

As a part of our responsibility to encourage agency compliance with the FOIA, OIP offers a number of training opportunities throughout the year for agency FOIA professionals and individuals with FOIA responsibilities. These courses have been designed to offer training opportunities for personnel from all stages of the FOIA workforce, from new hires to the experienced FOIA professionals or FOIA managers. As Fiscal Year 2017 quickly approaches, we are pleased to announce the first set of training courses and dates through the first quarter of the next fiscal year.

As noted on the Training page of our website, OIP offers a number of training courses throughout each fiscal year. As demand for these courses has increased over the last few years, our training team has been working diligently to put together the best possible programs for attendees, from evaluating the topics covered to exploring alternative venues for where these courses are held. Today we are announcing the first set of training courses and dates that will cover the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2017. We will announce the remaining training schedule for Fiscal Year 2017 as we finalize the best facilities for those courses.

OIP’s training courses and dates for the first quarter of FY 2017 are:

Last year, we introduced a new course titled the FOIA Processing Workshop which was designed as a half-day workshop that took attendees through the processing of a FOIA request in a small classroom setting. Based on attendee feedback, this workshop has been incorporated into a new, expanded Introduction to the FOIA course. In the new course, attendees will be provided with both a basic overview of the FOIA, including procedural requirements and an overview of exemptions, as well as a hands-on workshop taking participants through a FOIA request from start to finish.

Please note that the following courses will be offered in FY 2017 beginning in quarter 2 with multiple dates for each:

• Freedom of Information Act for Attorneys and Access Professionals (our 2-day course),
• Continuing Freedom of Information Act, and
• Advanced Freedom of Information Act Seminar.

All of these seminars will be held in the Washington DC area, and are open to all federal government employees. Information on each course, including descriptions of each course, general topics covered, and the intended audience are all available on the Training page of our site.

To register for any of the first quarter course offerings listed above, please email your name to OIP's Training Staff at DOJ.OIP.FOIA@usdoj.gov. In the subject line of your email, please specify the name of the course and the date you wish to attend the training. If registering multiple individuals, please include email addresses for each individual in the registration message. Once you are registered, you will be sent a confirmation email with the location of the training.

In addition to these scheduled training programs, OIP also offers various other training programs and workshops throughout the year such as our Best Practices Workshop series. Details on all of our training opportunities will be announced here on FOIA Post and through OIP’s Twitter account, @FOIAPost.

Any questions regarding these training opportunities may also be directed to OIP’s Training Staff at (202) 514-FOIA (3642). We look forward to seeing you at our events and trainings during Fiscal Year 2017.