First cohort of N.C. budget professional program completes three-week course

Earlier this year, the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management and the UNC School of Government partnered to create the North Carolina Certified State Government Budget Professional Program, a certification program that aims to develop participants’ understanding of state budgeting.

The first cohort, composed of 53 state employees, completed the three-week program earlier this week, marking the end of the program's first cycle.

Plans for a professional development program to support state employees had circulated the OSBM as early as 2018, however, COVID-19 slowed the process, Whitney Afonso, UNC professor of public administration and government, said.

OSBM Budget Analyst Cole Justad said, when OSBM began searching for program partners, the government school stuck out. 

“I think one of the main things that made the school of government so attractive is that they have a similar program that they hold for local government budgeting professionals, which was sort of one of the inspirations,” he said.

Once selected, the government school and OSBM worked together to create a curriculum that runs for three weeks. 

The course covers an overview of the state government and its operations, using data for strategic planning, and accounting principles and their application in budgeting, Afonso said.

“The goal is to provide professional development opportunities for people to better do their jobs,” she said. “Working with the budget, we give them new skill sets and improve upon existing ones and understand how their work fits into serving the state of North Carolina.”

According to the program’s website, North Carolina does not require completion of the program to obtain state budget positions. However, the government school and OSBM aim for the program to serve as a valuable credential that will benefit graduates’ careers.

“And so we give our participants – who are sometimes very singled in on what their agency does and the budget component – a broader picture of how government works in North Carolina and how these pieces are all interconnected and really critical to serving North Carolina,” Afonso said.

Faculty of the government school primarily teach the program, Afonso said — however, OSBM brought in professionals for certain aspects of the training. She said the wide array of participants presented a unique atmosphere of learning and development.

“We've had some people that have been working in this space for years and have a wealth of experience and expertise,” she said. “And that made the class – actually, it really enriched it as well because we had people that were able to offer their own challenges, offer their own solutions and it really became a dialogue between the faculty lead and the participants very frequently.”

Applications for the next session in February are open to anyone in the state’s budgeting sector, Justad said. He said hehopes that the program will create a pipeline of talent for individuals interested in entering the profession or advancing their careers within the state. 

“We've been really fortunate that people have been very generous with their time and expertise to support the continuing development of budget practitioners in the state,” Afonso said.

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