Ethics Training
The State Ethics Commission just launched their new online portal for the conflict-of-interest training, and the code of ethics acknowledgement. This will be replacing the old website training and paper forms that you used to previously submit to the Clerk Office. The old link will no longer work, and all employees and board members will need to gain access to this portal.
Previously, you were required to take the conflict of interest training every two years and provide the paper certificate of completion to the Clerk office. Additionally, at the beginning of every year, you were required to sign the ethics acknowledgement form and submit that to us as well.
The State requirements are still the same, you will need to complete the conflict-of-interest training every two years, and the acknowledgement annually, but the way in which you will access and provide the information to us will change.
What are the next steps:
1. Visit the website: https://massethicstraining.skillburst.com
2. Click on First Time Logging In You will be prompted to enter your name, email address (Recommend using your town email; if unique to you), and select Dudley as your agency/organization, then click on Get Access.
3. You will receive an email and you will create a login. (Recommend using Dudley2023 as the password)
4. Upon logging in for the first time, you will see that you will have two courses assigned to you, the conflict-of-interest training, and the code of ethics acknowledgement for municipal employees. Please complete both. Some of you may have taken the training within the last two years, but the system does not recognize that, and I would like to get most of the Town on the same schedule for completion.
Time needed to complete the acknowledgement will be approximately 5 mins and approximately 1 hour for the Conflict-of-Interest training. Once you begin the course you will be able to save and return later.
I understand there will be a learning curve, and this may take some time to get used to, but I think users will like the convenience of the portal. There is no need to print out your certificates of completion or acknowledgements. They will be uploaded to the portal and saved in our Town database. You will get reminder messages, letting you know when you need to complete the assignments again in the future.
These two items are extremely important, as they will give you tools to help protect yourself and the Town from any conflict of interest or ethics violation complaints. I think most people will be shocked to learn some of the things can lead to a violation or a complaint, and it is crucial that we familiarize ourselves with the laws.
There is a lot of other great helpful information on the portal, once you have logged in. If you have additional questions, you can always reach out to me at 508-949-8004 or email [email protected].
Lori Smith
Town Clerk