Debriefing New Agents Following Extension Foundations

This week new County Extension Agents participated in Extension Foundations in College Station. This training venue provided these new agents with in-depth training that will enable them to be more effective earlier in their career. Some the the highlights to Extension Foundations include;

• 4-H Livestock 101 which provides agents with training to enable them to effectively manage a 4-H livestock program.
• 4-H Family and Consumer Science 101 which provide agents with training to enable them to effectively manage a 4-H Family and Consumer Science program.
• Program Development training that will enable new agents to have a working knowledge of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Development Model.
• Evaluation training that will enable new agents to become familiar with evaluation methodology.
• Volunteer Management training that will enable new agent to have working knowledge of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service volunteer management model.
• Extension accountability and TeXas System training that will enable new agent to have a working knowledge of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service accountability system.

While this on-boarding component was conducted in College Station , it is important that District Extension Administrators/County Extension Directors and Regional Program Directors recognize that they are the catalyst for all on-boarding functions in the Region. District Extension Administrators and County Extension Directors should debrief new agents and reinforce principles covered during Extension Foundations. This debriefing can provide the opportunity for District Extension Administrators and County Extension Directors to clarify any element that the new agent may not understand or may not understand how to operationalize these concepts as they begin their Extension career.

The following premises must be embraced if Texas AgriLife Extension Service's on-boarding system is going to be successful;

• All members of Regional Teams are responsible for new agent on-boarding.
• New agent on-boarding is a sequential learning process where one event establishes the knowledge base for future learning activities that provides progressively more complex training.
• All on-boarding experiences have specific teaching points that are designed to increase knowledge, develop skills, encourage adoption of best practices or lead to the refinement of best practices.
• All on-boarding experiences are designed to give agents "early wins"!
  

Other components that makes up the Texas AgriLife Extension Service on-boarding system includes...

• District Extension Administrator Orientation Agendas that provide core teaching points.
• Regional Program Director Orientation Agendas that provide core teaching points
• A On-boarding continuum that provides a roadmap for on-boarding new agents.
• Online learning modules that provides agents with a introduction of Extension program management topics.
• Excellence in Programming Academy that provides new agents with in-depth experiential learning experiences related to program planning, teaching effectiveness, program implementation, and evaluation and interpretation.
• The Texas AgriLife Extension Service Mentoring Program.
• First Step.
• Extension Fundamentals letter series designed to reinforce topics covered during orientations, face to face trainings and online modules .
• Revised New Agent Self -Study Guide.

Resources that will assist middle managers in the on-boarding process can be found at the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, New Agent On-boarding Web Site. This web site includes...

• On-boarding flowcharts and time-lines.
• District Extension Administrator and County Extension Director Orientation Agendas.
• 4-H Regional Program Director Orientation Agenda.
• 4-H Specialist Orientation Agenda.
• Agriculture and Natural Resource Regional Program Director Orientation Agenda.
• Family and Consumer Science Regional Program Director Orientation Agenda.
• District Extension Administrator and County Extension Director Task Check List.
• First Step Journal.
• New Agent Study Guide.
• New Agent Note Pages.
• Mentoring In Extension Guidelines.
• Extension Fundamentals educational letter series.

These resources can be obtained at;http://extensiononboarding.tamu.edu/. These systematic trainings are designed to provide the sequential learning experience that will enable new agents to...

• Gain knowledge of the organization.
• Gain knowledge of organizational procsses.
• Develop skills.
• Adopt best practices.
• Refine best practices.

Quality time in effectively on-boarding new agents that could potentially result in increased retention should be viewed as an investment in the future of Texas AgriLife Extension Service. District Extension Administrators and County Extension Directors should plan on visiting with agents who attended Extension Foundations this week when they return to their county to reinforce principles covered during this on-boarding activity. Remember, District Extension Administrators/County Extension Directors and Regional Program Directors are the catalyst for all on-boarding functions in the Region.