Thousands of local tax officials now can earn continuing education credit by successfully completing Institute of Government training courses through a new partnership with the Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR).

More than 40 of the Institute of Government’s training courses were approved for state-mandated continuing education credits by the DOR, which is statutorily required to provide continuing education to all local tax officials, staff and members of the county boards of equalization.

Online and face-to-face courses cover numerous areas of interest to tax officials, including fraud prevention, internal controls, problem solving and leadership development. Continuing education credit also is available for successfully completing specific training programs, including Succeeding as a Supervisor, the Institute of Government’s Management Development Program and UGA’s Certified Public Manager program, provided exclusively in Georgia by the Institute of Government.

“At the Institute of Government, we are committed to supporting Georgians in public service and helping them develop new skills to thrive in their careers,” said Institute Director Laura Meadows. “This new partnership recognizes the benefit of the Institute’s training from instructors who are constantly researching and responding to the needs of the state’s officials.”

Ellen Mills, director of the DOR Local Government Services Division, said the partnership is great news for tax officials in the state of Georgia.

“Now, the thousands of professionals who need to maintain continuing education can choose from dozens of classes that fit their individual needs,” Mills said.

In addition to online financial management courses, this training covers topics such as team building, change management, strategic planning and elected officials and staff relationships, according to Mara Shaw, the Institute’s leadership development program manager.

“This partnership opens up continuing education courses for several thousand tax officials throughout Georgia,” Shaw said. “By law, DOR is tasked with providing training for these dedicated officials, who now can take advantage of our established programs.”