PDS Commonly Asked Questions

Training is providing people with the necessary skills to perform a task in an efficient and effective manner. Training is developing people to become more self-sufficient. It is helping them to continually think about developing themselves and, consequently, the work they are responsible for. Training people is preparing them to become more effective within their organization, to become a more valuable member of the team.

PDS is the centralized training unit for Iowa state government as provided in the Iowa Code, section 8A.431. PDS is a unit of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services (DAS)/ Human Resources Enterprise (HRE). This relationship with DAS/HRE allows PDS to provide training courses that are aligned with state personnel policies and state employees' work. As the primary training unit for state government, PDS is also able to negotiate reduced prices and pass those savings on to state departments.

Courses are delivered by contractors as well as state employees.  Please see course fee information located on our Course Offerings page.

To enroll in a seminar, please complete course registration on the State of Iowa Learning Management System, and submit your request to obtain appropriate approvals. If you have questions, please reach out to your organization's training liaison. If your agency does not have a training liaison, please reach out to the PDS team at pds@iowa.gov.  **Please contact PDS Training if you have any special needs or accommodations.

PDS is the centralized training unit for Iowa state government as provided in the Iowa Code, section 8A.431. PDS is a unit of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services (DAS)/Human Resources Enterprise (HRE). This relationship with DAS/HRE allows PDS to provide training courses that are aligned with state personnel policies. As the primary training unit for state government, PDS is also able to negotiate reduced prices with training providers and pass those savings on to state departments.

PDS courses are available to any State, County or City employee.  Courses are available to all non-government related citizens as well. 

The majority of courses run from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, although some courses are half a day, and some are multiple days. View each course's specific timeframe in the Course Catalog located on our Course Offerings page.

To enroll in a seminar, potential course participants should log into the State of Iowa Learning Management System (LMS) and submit an electronic request. If you are having issues logging in to your LMS account, please contact your agency’s training liaison. If your organization does not have a training liaison, you can reach out to the PDS team at pds@iowa.gov.

The LMS system will generate an email to both the employee and their manager after the request has been submitted to enroll in the course. Once the manager has approved or denied the request, another email will be sent notifying the employee. Course notifications, including the course title, instructor, date(s), starting and ending times, and location, will be included in the email. In the event of a course cancellation after notifications have been sent out, PDS will contact Training Liaisons or non-state course enrollees.

Yes, there is a charge in order to cover the costs of putting on the training and keeping it up to date. See our course fees for more information.

The Iowa Department of Administrative Services bills the agency or organization that  the attendee works for. Attendees may also pay for the seminar individually by providing a check to PDS for the cost of the seminar. Checks should be payable to ‘Treasurer State of Iowa’. Pre-payment may be requested for non-state employees.

Most PDS courses have a recommended eligibility listed in the course description. It is up to individuals, or their appointing authority where applicable, to approve or deny course enrollments based on the recommended eligibility.

When a state employee enrolls in a PDS course, the agency purchases a "seat" in the course. If the employee becomes unable to participate in the class, the agency must notify PDS at least fourteen (14) calendar days in advance of the course date to withdraw from the course. Failure to provide the required (14) days' notice will result in the agency being charged for the seat in the course. Agencies may, in the alternative of proper notice, send a substitute to the course to fill the purchased seat. This is encouraged. The agency must inform PDS of the change in employee participation for proper billing. This policy also applies to non-state employee participants.

• In cases in which an enrolled employee is severed from state employment before the course date, agencies are encouraged to fill the purchased seat with another employee if the agency is not able to comply with the (14) day notice requirement. If the purchased seat is unfilled the agency will still be charged.
• To provide proper notice of withdrawal, participants need to contact the agencies training liaison, who will then inform PDS. PDS will review the date of the withdrawal request and compare it to the date of confirmation to determine if the agency will be billed.
• The agency will not be charged when the employee is unable to participate due to approved leave other than vacation.

Managers and supervisors can have a big impact on making training a successful experience for employees. A participant will benefit more from attending a training program if you show an interest in his or her participation and talk about the upcoming training together. Let the employee know what you expect him or her to gain by attending the training. Relate your expectations to the course objectives, specific job responsibilities, and your organization’s mission.

Staff will submit their request for training through the Learning Management System (LMS), which is notify their supervisor/manager via email. Supervisors/Managers will need to log in to the LMS to approve or deny the request for training.

Marketing messages and information on upcoming courses are frequently sent to Training Liaisons by PDS. It is important to forward these training opportunities to all staff members and management teams.

Employees must enroll for classes through the State's Learning Management System (LMS) and obtain the appropriate approvals. Training Liaisons will have the ability to assist employees in registering for classes through the LMS.

Please send an email notice to PDS@iowa.gov when you need to cancel an employee from a course. For more information on cancelling employees, please see the PDS Attendance Policy.

The LMS is a statewide, online system designed to track course enrollments and cancellations. It also helps generate billing information and reports. All Training Liaisons should have access to the State's LMS. If you do not currently have access, please contact PDS at PDS@iowa.gov