Ethics training is a standing requirement across federal agencies, which makes this a budget line rather than a discretionary purchase. This is a government-wide ethics course covering the rules that apply across the executive branch, deliberately built without reference to any single agency's supplemental policy so it works for any federal audience, and it runs from the 14 General Principles of Ethical Conduct through conflicts of interest, gifts, misuse of position, outside and post-government employment, and the Hatch Act. It is updated for the 2024 modernization: the Standards of Ethical Conduct took effect in modernized form on 15 August 2024, adding new examples on personal social media use, so any agency running ethics training built before that date has a gap. Those examples matter to a general audience, because using an official title or position on a personal account in a way that suggests government endorsement can violate the misuse-of-position rules, even outside work hours. The course also confirms the gift thresholds of $20 from outside sources and $10 between employees were reviewed and left unchanged.
It is grounded in the actual sources rather than in generalities. The criminal conflict-of-interest statutes at 18 U.S.C. 201 to 209 sit alongside the Standards of Ethical Conduct at 5 C.F.R. Part 2635, and the course is explicit that the post-employment restrictions are criminal statutes rather than guidance. It also teaches the appearance standard properly, as a test the participant applies rather than a footnote: would a reasonable person with knowledge of the facts question my impartiality. Two drag-and-drop activities do the practical work, one sorting eight realistic gift scenarios into acceptable and not acceptable with rationale on each, the other sorting eight activities into generally permitted and generally prohibited under the Hatch Act, and the graded final is a 20-question assessment at 70% to pass, which is 14 of 20, with unlimited retakes. The course is agency-neutral by design, covering only government-wide rules and repeatedly directing participants to their own agency ethics official for supplemental policy.
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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.
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