An intermediate course in federal recordkeeping obligations, written for the employee who covered records awareness during onboarding and now has to work with the rules rather than simply know they exist. It follows the full chain: what makes something a federal record rather than a convenience copy or personal paper, the lifecycle from creation through disposition, retention and disposition scheduling including how General Records Schedules operate, and electronic records management in an all-electronic environment. Retention gets the most time, and deservedly — why an unscheduled record cannot lawfully be destroyed, how disposition eligibility follows from event-driven as against time-driven triggers, and how a litigation hold or a pending FOIA request suspends normal disposition regardless of what the schedule says.
Electronic records, and chat in particular, is where this course earns its place. Records training still tends to assume paper and email. Here email is treated as a record like any other, and the same logic extends to chat and collaboration platforms — where the casual feel of a message leads people to assume it cannot be a record, even though a policy decision reached in a group chat can be precisely that. The course covers metadata, electronic recordkeeping systems described generically rather than by product, and the habits that keep records retrievable when someone changes role or departs. Running through it is a legal weight ordinary records training does not carry: unauthorized or accidental destruction has real consequences and triggers a duty to report. Every module carries an interactive activity and a knowledge check, and a branching capstone follows one workday from drafting a memo, through discussing it in chat and emailing a final version, to the end of its retention period.
Receive instruction from subject‑matter experts who bring proven government experience.
Courses that are regularly updated based on feedback and industry developments, ensuring versions are mapped to federal competencies.
The instructor was wonderful and so knowledgeable. The course materials were extremely relevant to what my job is. I feel like I can be better because of this class.
— 2025 student
Directly addressing the day-to-day challenges of federal employees.
Your trusted training partner, equipping public service professionals with the skills and knowledge to excel in their roles and drive meaningful impact.
Attend this course live online or as self-paced training. Engage with expert instructors, ask questions, and get feedback on your exercises and projects.
Get the same interactivity and access to the instructor as in-person students. There are no extra fees and we’ll work with you to ensure your remote setup is perfect.
Learn at your own pace with pre-recorded video lessons and hands-on exercises. Work through the material on your schedule with access to course content and resources.
Upon completion of this course, you’ll receive an official certificate testifying to your mastery of the curriculum. We’ll send you a link where you can download your certificate, share it online with your friends, post it to your professional network on LinkedIn, and view all your earned certificates. Congratulations on your achievement!
Shareable on
We offer a single free retake of the class within a year.
Since 1921, Graduate School USA has partnered with over 125 federal agencies and trained more than one million federal employees. Led by instructors with deep, real-world knowledge of federal regulations, policies, and practices, our private group programs are practical, mission-driven, and tailored to your agency’s objectives. We offer expertise across key federal domains—including human resources, financial management, acquisition and contracting, leadership, and more—to deliver training where and how your team needs it.
Complete this form and we’ll get back to you within 1 business hour.