Communication and professional skills training built for the way government work actually gets done

Taught by federal practitioners and longtime government trainers, and delivered your way: onsite, live online, or self-paced.

Start the conversationSee the curriculum
Graduate School USA instructors and federal staff working together

Trusted across the federal government

Since 1921
training the federal workforce
500,000+
government employees trained
125+
federal agencies served
200+
federally experienced instructors
400+
courses and certificates
All levels
across the professional-skills curriculum
U.S. Department of AgricultureU.S. Department of the TreasuryU.S. Department of CommerceU.S. Department of EnergyU.S. Department of Veterans AffairsU.S. Department of DefenseU.S. Department of Homeland SecurityU.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesU.S. Department of JusticeU.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Department of LaborU.S. Department of TransportationU.S. Office of Personnel ManagementU.S. General Services AdministrationU.S. Department of StateNASA

Agency seals reflect organizations Graduate School USA has trained. They do not imply endorsement by, or affiliation with, any federal agency.

Three ways to train your team

Every format draws on the same practitioner-built communication and professional skills curriculum and instructors who have done the work. Choose what fits your headcount, timeline, and budget, or combine them.

  • Private group training: run Briefing Techniques or Constructive Conflict Resolution onsite, using your team's own memos and real disputes
  • Open enrollment: send one or two people to a scheduled Business Writing Bootcamp or Negotiating Techniques class, live online or in Washington, DC
  • Self-paced eLearning: Thinking Critically, Writing Clearly and The Productive Professional, finished between meetings and deadlines
A federal employee working through a Graduate School USA course on a laptop
A Graduate School USA advisor meeting one-on-one with an agency client

Private group training

Onsite, the writing samples are your own: the correspondence, technical documents, and decision memos your office already sends. The conflict, briefing, and facilitation sessions run the same way, built on the disputes, leadership briefings, and workgroups your staff are already handling.

  • Any course or certificate in our communication and professional skills catalog, delivered onsite, live online, or blended
  • A new course built to your specification when nothing off-the-shelf fits
  • Scheduled around your calendar, for a cohort of any size
  • Rostering, progress, and completion reporting for the whole group
Request private trainingGroup training details

Open enrollment

Scheduled public sessions fit the analyst who needs Briefing Techniques before a leadership presentation, or the two people who need Effective Business Writing now, without holding them until you can fill a class of your own.

  • A published schedule across the federal communication and professional skills curriculum, entry to advanced
  • Live online, or in person at 1050 Connecticut Ave NW in Washington, DC
  • No minimum headcount and no setup: register and go
  • The same instructors and materials as our private cohorts
Browse the course schedule
A Graduate School USA instructor leading a federal class

Self-paced eLearning

Self-paced covers the reflective subjects that do not need a room: Strategic Thinking for Everyday Work, Thinking Critically, Writing Clearly, Focused Under Pressure, and The Productive Professional. It suits staff who cannot give up a classroom day.

  • Finish a self-paced writing or critical thinking course, then take the instructor-led version free within a year
  • Rewrite real correspondence and rehearse briefings, with knowledge checks instead of slides to click past
  • An always-available AI coach grounded in the same plain-language, briefing, and conflict material
  • Enroll one writer or an entire branch of supervisors, with completion tracking for every person
Browse self-paced courses

Explore the communication and professional skills curriculum

From plain-language writing and briefing to conflict resolution, customer service, and facilitation, every course is built for federal, state, and local teams.

Browse all communication and professional skills training

Business and plain-language writing

Plain-language, correspondence, and technical writing that meets federal standards and gets read the first time.
Business Writing Bootcamp Effective Business Writing Advanced Business Writing Grammar and Editing Essentials Writing Government Technical Documents Plain Language Writing for Federal Communicators

Briefing and presentation

Structure a briefing, own the room, and turn mission data into a story leadership remembers.
Briefing Techniques Speaking with Confidence Creating and Delivering High-Impact Presentations (Self-Paced) Storytelling for Government Leaders: Communicating Mission and Impact

Interpersonal communication and emotional intelligence

Listen, read the room, and work well with anyone, backed by self-awareness tools like DiSC.
Interpersonal Communications Listening and Memory Development Assertiveness Skills Achieving Personal Effectiveness

Conflict, negotiation, and mediation

De-escalate tension, negotiate to yes, and mediate workplace disputes without leaving damage behind.
Constructive Conflict Resolution Positive Approaches to Difficult People Negotiating Techniques Using AI to Prepare for Difficult Conversations Professional Mediation Certificate (PMC) for the Workplace

Critical thinking and problem solving

Reason through ambiguity, make sound calls under pressure, and think strategically before you act.
Thinking Critically, Writing Clearly (Self-Paced) Strategic Thinking for Everyday Work (Self-Paced) Focused Under Pressure: Making Better Decisions (Self-Paced)

Customer service and public engagement

Serve internal and external customers with clarity, empathy, and a plan for the hard conversations.
Customer Service Excellence Effective Communication with Customers Communicating for Results

Time management and productivity

Prioritize what matters, manage competing demands, and protect focus in a full inbox.
Time Management Managing Multiple Priorities The Productive Professional (Self-Paced)

Meetings and facilitation

Plan meetings people value, facilitate decisions, and lead workgroups to real results.
Effective Meetings Facilitator Workshop Leading Workgroups That Work

Certificate programs

The certificates here are three parallel programs rather than rungs on a ladder: Business Writing over nine days, Customer Service over ten, and Productivity over nine. Each stacks several courses in one subject, and each stands on its own.

Certificate

Business Writing Certificate Program

Writing essentials, government correspondence, clear expression through critical thought, and grammar and editing in one federal writing credential.

9 days
View the certificate
Certificate

Customer Service Certificate Program

Communication, conflict resolution, and service-excellence skills stacked across five courses.

10 days
View the certificate
Certificate

Productivity Certificate Program

Prioritization, meetings, listening, time management, and interpersonal skills for a more productive team.

9 days
View the certificate

Vetted procurement, right from the GSA Schedule

Graduate School USA is a GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract holder, allowing federal agencies and other qualifying organizations to confidently purchase our services.

  • GSA MAS contract 47QRAA24D004K, SINs 611430 (professional training) and 541611 (management/administrative consulting)
  • Held as American Public Training LLC d/b/a Graduate School USA; UEI LA83MCFN1ST3; CAGE 99AA0
  • We work with your training office on the paperwork, whether a Schedule order, purchase order, or an SF-182.
View our GSA Schedule on eLibrary Email the group training team
Graduate School USA staff welcoming agency colleagues
A historical Graduate School USA faculty and leadership gathering, reflecting the institution's roots as the USDA Graduate School since 1921

An established federal training institution

Graduate School USA's federal communication and professional skills curriculum is designed and taught in-house by practitioners who have coached the federal workforce on writing, briefing, and professional skills, not licensed from a generic library.

  • Founded 1921 as the USDA Graduate School; 500,000+ government employees trained across 125+ agencies
  • ACCET-accredited (ACCET is a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accreditor)
  • Center for Leadership and Management runs ECQ-aligned executive development, including the Executive Potential Program since 1995
  • 200+ federally experienced subject-matter experts across 400+ courses and certificates
  • Available on an active GSA MAS Schedule (SINs 611430 and 541611)

Questions agencies ask

The answers training officers and program directors ask for most, in one place.

How does my agency buy training from Graduate School USA?
Graduate School USA holds GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract 47QRAA24D004K (SINs 611430 and 541611), so you can place a pre-priced order directly under FAR Subpart 8.4 without running an open-market procurement. We accept the SF-182, Schedule orders, government purchase orders, and purchase cards for micro-purchases.
Can we pay with an SF-182?
Yes. We accept the SF-182, purchase orders, and GSA Schedule orders under contract 47QRAA24D004K, and our group training team works with your training office on the paperwork.
What is the difference between private group training and open enrollment?
Open enrollment classes are scheduled public sessions anyone can register for, taken live online or at our Washington, DC campus at 1050 Connecticut Ave NW. Private group training delivers a course for your agency's own cohort, tailored to your mission and delivered onsite, live online, or blended.
Can employees train self-paced, and still take the live class later?
Yes. Our self-paced online courses let a learner start anytime and work at their own pace, and when you buy the self-paced course the learner may also attend the live instructor-led course for free within one year.
Can courses be tailored to our agency?
Yes. We tailor existing courses to reflect your agency's mission, policies, and real cases, and we can develop new courses for unique requirements, all delivered under GSA contract 47QRAA24D004K.
Can training be delivered virtually or in person?
Both. Courses are offered as live virtual instruction or in-person onsite at your facility or at our Washington, DC location, and some programs blend live sessions with self-paced work.
What if an employee needs to repeat a class?
We offer one free retake of a class within one year, so a first attempt is never wasted if someone is reassigned, deployed, or needs a refresher before applying the material.
What's new in your federal communication and professional skills training?
Our curriculum is refreshed to current federal law, policy, and practice; we added new AI courses for the federal workforce; courses now run in a modern learning portal, and self-paced courses add an always-available AI coach; and self-paced online options let a learner start anytime and still take the live class for free within a year.
How is the Business Writing Certificate Program different from taking Effective Business Writing by itself?
The single course is a focused entry point for staff who need cleaner correspondence quickly. The certificate runs nine days and stacks writing essentials, government correspondence, clear expression through critical thought, and grammar and editing into one credential. Choose the certificate when writing quality is a recurring problem across a whole office rather than a gap in one or two people.
A supervisor has a team in open conflict. What do we send them to?
Start with Constructive Conflict Resolution and Positive Approaches to Difficult People, which cover de-escalation and working with the individuals driving the tension. Negotiating Techniques and Using AI to Prepare for Difficult Conversations help the supervisor prepare for the specific conversations ahead. If the office needs someone who can formally mediate workplace disputes, the Professional Mediation Certificate (PMC) for the Workplace is the deeper commitment.

Plan your agency's communication and professional skills training

Tell us your topics, headcount, and timeline, and we'll propose the right mix for your team.

Group training team
onsite@graduateschool.edu
Main line: (888) 744-4723

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