Training and Development of
Public Servants:
Approach of the
Canada School of Public Service
Canada School of Public Service
•Established in April 2004, by Public Service
Modernization Act (PSMA) through amalgamation of:
– Canadian Centre for Management Development
• Created in 1980’s (with legislation passed in 1991)
for training and development of executives
– Training and Development Canada
• Begun in 1970’s as part of Public Service
Commission to provide training for all public servants
– Language Training Canada
• Started in late 1960’s to provide training in Canada’s
two official languages, French and English
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Training of Public Servants
•Public Service Modernization Act (PSMA) gives School
responsibility as common learning service provider for Public
Service of Canada
– But Canada School does not do all training for all public servants
– Many departments and agencies have their own training programs
and some (Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Transport
Canada, Human Resources and Social Development Canada,
Canada Border Service Agency, Royal Canadian Mounted Police)
have training institutes and centres
– Great deal of training and development takes place under contract
to consultants, private firms and universities
– Only universities offer academic training, leading to degrees
• Master of Public Administration, of Public Administration, or of Public
Policy: Queen’s, Carleton, Dalhousie, Victoria, ENAP, and others
• Bachelor’s degrees
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Canada School of Public Service:
Mandate for Training
•PSMA gives mandate to Canada School
“to help ensure that managers have the analytical, creative,
advisory, administrative and other managerial skills and
knowledge necessary to develop and implement policy,
respond to change, including changes in the social, cultural,
racial and linguistic character of Canadian society, and manage
government programs, services and personnel efficiently,
effectively and equitably; …
to develop within the Public Service and to attract to the Public
Service, through the School's programs and studies, persons
who are of high calibre and who reflect the diversity of
Canadian society, and to support their growth and development
as public sector managers and employees committed to the
service of Canada”
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Government Learning, Training
and Development Policy
•Policy adopted by Government in late 2005 gives
Canada School mandate for required training and as
well for professional development and leadership
development
•Policy makes Heads of Departments and Agencies
(“Deputy Heads”) responsible and accountable for
defining learning, training and development needs for
their organizations
•Policy requires departments to develop learning
plans
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Learning, Training and Development Policy:
Responsibilities for Learning
• Shared responsibility of employees, managers at all
levels, deputy heads and employer
• Employees - responsible for :
• acquiring and maintaining the knowledge, skills and
competencies related to their level and functions, and
• developing and pursuing learning plans aligned with
departmental business priorities and prepare them to do next job
• Managers at all levels and deputy heads - responsible
for ensuring timely completion of training that supports
departmental priorities and government’s management
improvement objectives
• Treasury Board as employer establishes knowledge
needed in areas deemed necessary for effective
management of Public Service
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Canada School of Public Service:
Working with Departments and Agencies
•Departments and agencies retain
responsibility for training that is missionspecific, technical and operational
•School’s learning opportunities do not
replace departmental responsibilities
•School’s activities directed to:
– providing advice to departments and agencies on
developing learning strategies
– helping partners to meet their learning objectives,
through “train the trainer” programs
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Learning, Training and Development Policy
Canada School of Public Service Role
•Providing Foundational Learning
– Design and deliver learning that is foundational for the public service (e.g. orientation
at all levels, training on authority delegations, professional and leadership
foundations)
•Providing Strategic Advice
– Provide strategic advice to departments on how to develop and implement learning
strategies to advance their corporate priorities
•Delivering Best Management Practices
– Capture best and latest in public sector management practices to share across public
service
•Acting as a Learning Clearing House
– Create high-quality marketplace for learning solutions from many sources by setting
standards, accrediting courses, evaluating learning products and publicly reporting all
learner feedback
•Measuring and Reporting Outcomes
– Measure and report on learning undertaken and results achieved across public
service to assess knowledge acquisition
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Comprehensive Approach to Learning
To implement a more coordinated approach to Public Service learning and to better align
learning with the business priorities of government in a dynamic, bilingual environment.
Organizational
Leadership
Departmental learning
strategies that better
leverage individual
knowledge, manage
change and deliver
results for Canadians.
Individual
Learning
Public servants
able to perform in
their current job,
take on the
challenges of the
next job in a
dynamic, bilingual
environment.
Renewed
Public Service
dedicated to
excellence
Dissemination of
leading-edge
practices in
public management /
administration
across
government through
research and
learning.
Innovation
in
Public
Management
Individual Learning
Organizational
leadership
Public
Management
Individual
Learning
Build individual capacity so that public servants are able to perform in their current job,
take on challenges of the next job in a dynamic bilingual environment.
Professional Development
Public Service Foundations
Orientation to the
Public Service
• Who we work for
• Who we are
• How we do
what we do
• What’s ahead
Authority Delegations
Training for
Functional
Groups
Official
Languages
Training
Job
competencies
Professional
Foundations
Leadership Development
Leadership
Competency
• Delegations
(Human Resources,
Finance,
Info Management,
Procurement)
• Procurement,
Material Mgt,
Real Property
• Legal Reqt’s
• Info Mgt
• Managing
Excellence
• Human
Resources
• Value & Ethics
• Financial
• Strategic
Thinking
• Engagement
Leadership
Foundations
(e.g. Living
Leadership,
Direxion)
Development
Programs
(e.g. ALP,
AEXDP)
Organizational Leadership
Individual
Public
Management
Organizational
Leadership
Help departments use organizational learning strategies
to manage change and deliver results for Canadians
Support Senior Leaders
Advanced Leadership Development
program
Thematic Series
Roundtables
Advise Departments
Build key relationships in
departments (Departmental
Portfolio Managers/Account
Managers)
Share smart practices that build
organizational capacity
Advise on developing
organizational learning strategies
Support Departments
Assist in implementing organizational
learning strategies
Monitor implementation and perform
ongoing evaluations
Innovation In Public Management
Individual
Organizational
leadership
Public Sector
Management
Help departments accelerate innovation in
public management for results
Scan and Prioritize
Learn from:
• federal government
departments
• other governments
• other countries
Build Smart Practices
• Work with departments to package key
innovations for wider adoption
• Build safe spaces where senior leaders can
work through complex problems
Frame Emerging
Issues
Build understanding on future
challenges.
Maximize Diffusion & Adoption
• Leverage behavior change through seniors leaders
development and strategic advise to departments
• Strengthen international development program
Public Service Foundations:
Required Learning
Orientation
to Public
Service
Authority
Delegations
New Managers:
Managing in Public Service:
Executive Management
Human Resource Management
Financial Management
Contracting
Training for
Functional Groups:
Information Management
Procurement
Materiel Management
Real Property
Official
Languages
Training
Required Training Learning, Training and Development Policy
Required Training - Foundations
• Orientation program for all new employees of
core public administration
• Courses and programs for first-time managers at
all levels, as well as validating knowledge of
existing managers and executives - Authority
delegation assessment and training
• Courses and programs for functional specialists
in areas defined by employer (including
professional and legal)
• Official languages
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Professional Development
Job
competencies
Professional
Foundations
Core role of government
Management excellence
• Human Resource
excellence
• Understanding Canada
and the world
•
•
Professional Development Competencies
Continuous and sustainable learning -Improving
skills and job competencies
• Business skills
• Planning and organizational skills
• Communications skills
• Writing
• Training skills
Complemented by courses on career and
professional development, including career
development, retirement planning
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Professional DevelopmentProfessional Foundations
• Information management
• Procurement, materiel management and real
property
• Finance
• Policy and Programs - Public Policy
Development and Implementation, Cabinet
Submissions, Treasury Board Submissions
• Government Communications
• Human Resources Management - general and
for human resource professionals
• Leadership and Management
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Leadership Development
Leadership Competency
•Strategic Thinking
•Engagement
• Managing Excellence
•Value & Ethics
Leadership
Foundations
Development
Programs
Leadership Development - Programs
Taking Charge: Leadership Foundations Direxion
Senior Leaders Program
Career Development Programs
– Management Trainee Program
– Career Assignment Program
– Accelerated Executive Development Program
– Advanced Leadership Program
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Leadership development framework
Internal
Developed
Organizations
Empowered
Individuals
Individuals
Organizations
Strong Networks
Connected &
Aligned Organizations
External
Senior Leaders Development
• Lessons learned in leadership development
– Leadership capacity seen as key to
organizational performance and is therefore
top corporate priority;
– Business strategy and succession
management are not only linked, they are
aligned;
– Spotting and developing talent should be
corporately and actively managed; and
– Use varied learning approaches for leadership
development – no “one size fits all”.
Principles of Senior Leaders Program
• Includes assessment of both individual and collective learning
needs, with participants playing active role in shaping their learning
experience;
• Includes methods building on or challenging existing
experiences of participants and conducive to leadership
transformation of individual;
• Targets key areas for development with shorter, focused modules,
recognizing that time available to executives to devote to formal
learning activities is more limited;
• Uses wide variety of modalities to transfer knowledge, not just
courses or seminars;
• Provides individual support to ensure transfer of learning beyond
program, including providing on-going support to ensure transfer of
learning to workplace; and
• Aligns leadership development with organizational priorities and
objectives, within context of operating environment.
DM & ADM Learning Frameworks
• Based on four connected pillars:
–
–
–
–
Knowledge, of both self and community;
Leaders and practitioners of excellence;
Custodians and reformers of the institution; and
Become a “citizen of the world”.
• Based on those pillars, four learning objectives have
been identified:
–
–
–
–
Keep at the forefront of practices related to duties;
Prepare for complex challenges;
Continuous learning; and
Build habits and networks for horizontal problem solving.
Senior Leaders Program Deputy Ministers
DM Luncheons (monthly, 2-3 hrs): Gathering of senior
leaders to hear expert presentations and discuss topics
of public policy significance (facilitates cooperation at
senior levels of PS in a safe-space environment)
DM Dinners (monthly, 2-3 hrs): Gatherings to discuss
management issues affecting DMs in their day-to-day
responsibilities in a safe-space environment (i.e. internal
audit, Lobbyist Registration Act, etc)
DM Orientation (1 day): Foundational learning for newly
appointed senior leaders surrounding their delegated
authorities and opportunity to develop best practices
Similar events are organized for Associate Deputy
Ministers, Heads of Agencies and Crown Corporation
communities
Senior Leaders Program Other Groups
• Assistant Deputy Ministers
– Seminars (monthly, 3 hrs): Expert presentations and discuss
topics of public policy significance; strategic contextual
knowledge; and leading edge leadership and management skills
– ADM Orientation (2 days): Foundational learning for newly
appointed senior leaders surrounding their delegated authorities
and opportunity to develop best practices
• Chiefs of Staff (2 days): Foundational learning for senior ministerial
staff to strengthen leadership and managerial competencies
• Bridgers (3 days): Introduction to GoC and Public Service to
facilitate transition of and integration of senior leaders recruited from
outside public service
• DG Learning Forum (monthly,1/2 -1 day): Sessions focusing on key
management issues for DGs
• EX Forum (all EXs, every 6 weeks,1-2 hrs): opportunity for
executives to engage in open and frank discussion on important
issues of the day with subject matter experts and opinion leaders
Career Development Programs Management Trainee Program
• Development of entry-level candidates who have
demonstrated potential to become managers and future
leaders - recruited (usually from university) through
rigorous selection process
• Program over four years designed to develop
management competencies thorough diverse
experiences:
– Succession of rotational assignments in line
departments and agencies, central agencies
– Self-learning
– Action learning
– Courses - educational component - two weeks every
three months
Career Development Programs Accelerated Executive Development Program
• Development and career advancement of
executives who have demonstrated potential to
become Assistant Deputy Ministers
• Two complementary aspects - characterized by
firm and consistent commitment to Action
Learning:
– Developmental job assignments
– Consideration through various learning mechanisms
and development tools of issues in way to produce
cycle of action, reflection, learning and practice intended to assess strengths and needs of individual
Canada School of Public Service
•Client Focussed
• Tailored delivery
• Two-way communication
•Open and accessible to all Public Servants
in all regions of Canada
•Committed to offering timely and accessible
services of high quality at best possible price:
operate on cost recovery basis
•Open and Transparent: Feedback and Evaluation
•Employing Latest Learning Techniques: Blended
Learning and Campusdirect
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