Accurate personnel recordkeeping protects both the agency and the employee — and federal regulations leave little room for error. This course provides a comprehensive, practical walkthrough of the Guide to Personnel Recordkeeping, with special emphasis on OPM's Update 14 (January 2026). You will learn the regulatory framework under 5 CFR Part 293, the Privacy Act, and NARA records management requirements. The course covers how to create and organize Official Personnel Folders (OPF), including the filing rules for Sections 3-A through 3-I, and how to establish and classify Employee Medical Folders (EMF) under the new long-term and short-term retention categories. You will also practice the four-step process for transferring records between agencies and to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), respond to Privacy Act and FOIA requests, and identify the ten most common recordkeeping errors through hands-on exercises and realistic scenarios.
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.
Our instructors are industry experts and experienced educators, driven to help you succeed.
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!
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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.
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