And added scrutiny from Congress.

Next week, the House Civil Service subcommittee will have a hearing on federal training ranging from cultural differences and ethnic diversity to safe-sex sessions.

It will look at the proliferation of training beyond the how-to-do-your-job sessions under the Clinton administration.

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Some workers, for instance, applaud the administration’s effort to educate workers on subjects from safe sex to equal opportunity. Others object to mandatory three-hour AIDS training sessions often run by outside contractors.

Some employees see affirmative action as reverse discrimination.

A Civil Service subcommittee staffer said the hearing would consider whether it is necessary to train federal workers in how to put on a condom in order to do their jobs.

Since day one of the administration agencies have been under orders to increase the number of women and minorities in middleand upper-level federal jobs.

At the same time, they were ordered to cut 300,000 jobs.

To encourage voluntary retirementand protect the jobs of new hires many of whom are women and minorities without veterans preference protection.

The government has paid $25,000 buyouts to more than 104,000 workers to retire.

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Most of the employees who were offered and took buyouts were Defense Department workers. Typically they were 59-year-old white males in administrative jobs. Their departure spared agencies from firing newer employees.

Downsizing, safe sex training, diversity and efforts to promote women and minorities, have created strains in many agencies.