Additional management controls could help the IRS’s already successful tuition assistance program, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has said.
It said that in fiscal 2011, 5,313 IRS employees participated in the program, which correlated with lower attrition, more promotions, higher performance ratings, and higher employee engagement scores.
However, TIGTA, echoing a common concern government-wide, said the agency had insufficient controls over the program, through which it spent just over $7 million in tuition in fiscal 2011.
For example, IRS officials did not always reject requests for non-qualifying courses, ensure vendors met a minimum standard of quality, ensure that courses were successfully completed, and enforce continuing service agreements to ensure that employees who leave government service shortly after receiving training pay back the training funds, TIGTA said.
It said that while the IRS has eliminated the program for fiscal 2012 because of budget concerns, it could use the opportunity to strengthen controls for if and when it brings the program back.
The IRS agreed with recommendations to establish goals and cost-effective measures, ensure that courses relate to a participant’s existing job duties or career goals, ensure that courses be taken only from vendors meeting a minimum standard of quality, ensure that courses are successfully completed, and enforce continuing service agreements.