Management & Support Staff Academies

The Management Academy

Aligned with the AC Manager Accountability Framework and AC Way Management System of continuous improvement and respect for people – the Management Academy (MA) is an interactive learning program designed for all Administrators to provide an opportunity to explore, further develop, enhance and align management best practices. Note: Other employee groups are also invited to attend MA sessions, with a few exceptions.

The Support Staff Academy

Aligned with the Support Staff Performance & Development Program (SSPDP) competencies – the Support Staff Academy (SSA) provides participants access to a variety of professional learning opportunities focused on relevant skills, knowledge and abilities required in a learner-driven work environment. Note: Other employee groups are also invited to attend SSA sessions.

Academy Descriptions

The Management Academy

The Management Academy is an interactive learning program that is designed for all Administrators to provide an opportunity to explore, further develop, enhance and align management practices.

In keeping with our learner-driven philosophy, current Administrators with supervisory responsibility are encouraged to participate in those workshops within the Management Academy that support their identified leaning needs. Learners will be recognized for their participation.

Please note: Support staff and faculty are invited to attend Management Academy sessions (with some exceptions).

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Participants will be introduced to and expand upon contemporary concepts, skills, and tools specific to managing in post-secondary education and aligned with the AC Manager Accountability Framework and AC Management System (continuous improvement and respect for people). It includes learning on:

Results and Accountability
AC Values
People Management
Financial and Asset Management
Information Management
Risk Management

Participants will have access to their own expert internal resources in all these areas. In addition, participants will have an opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from across the College to discover and share effective practice.

PROGRAM OF STUDY

The Management Academy is offered across three semesters in the academic year (Fall, Winter and Spring). Each workshop is a half day and promotes a collaborative learning structure that includes independent work and small group discussion. Resources will be provided by facilitators to enhance the learning experience and to instigate further exploration of each topic.

Review the Workshop Descriptions and Schedule

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

Upon completion of the Management Academy you will have been given the opportunity to:

increase your knowledge, skills and tools to be successful in Results and Accountability, People Management, Financial and Asset Management, Information Management and Risk Management;
increase your knowledge of effective practices that are being implemented across the College;
develop more tools to support, motivate and hold your staff teams accountable in order to improve employee engagement;
increase your knowledge regarding the resources available to you to ensure ongoing support.

The Support Staff Academy

In alignment with the Algonquin College People Plan 2017-2022 and the competencies identified in the Support Staff Performance & Development Program (SSPDP), the Support Staff Academy (SSA) is an interactive learning program designed for all College employees including staff in support roles. The SSA will provide participants access to a variety of professional learning opportunities focused on relevant skills, knowledge & abilities required in a learner-driven work environment.

Employees are encouraged to participate in the workshops within the SSA that support their identified leaning needs.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Support Staff Academy (SSA) is an interactive learning program designed for all employees and including staff in support roles at Algonquin College. The SSA will provide participants access to a variety of professional learning opportunities focused on relevant skills, knowledge & abilities required in a learner-driven work environment.

The SSA is developed to run within a 3 semester cycle. Participants will be introduced to and expand upon contemporary concepts, skills, and tools specific to providing exemplary support services in post-secondary education. The SSA is also closely aligned with the SSPD competency framework which satisfies one or a variety of the following competencies: Team Contributions, Professional Skills, Innovation, Technical Skills, Interpersonal Communications, Student Success, Initiative & Leadership.

PROGRAM OF STUDY

The Support Staff Academy is offered across three semesters in the academic year (Fall, Winter and Spring). Each workshop is a half day session and promotes a collaborative learning structure that includes independent work and small group discussion. Resources will be provided by facilitators to enhance the learning experience and to instigate further exploration of each topic.

Review the Workshop Descriptions and Schedule

REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION

In keeping with our learner-driven philosophy, all employees including Support Staff are encouraged to participate in the workshops within the Support Staff Academy that support their identified learning needs. Learners will be recognized for their participation.

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

Participation in the Support Staff Academy will give participants the opportunity to:

Reflect upon and identify their learning needs based on the competencies outlined in the Support Staff Performance and Development Program competency framework
Increase their knowledge, skills and tools based on their identified learning needs
Increase their understanding of available resources for ongoing learning and support
Network and collaborate with other colleagues from across the College to discover and share effective practice
Have access to expert internal resources

Workshop Descriptions and Schedule

Workshop Title	Category	Fall 2023	Winter 2024	Spring 2024	Workshop Description	Register	Academy	Delivery
AC CARES Service Excellence Model	Leadership	Thursday, November 9	Thursday, February 22		The AC People Plan states in “1.3 Our People Promise – People come to work at Algonquin College, and continue their careers here, because they have a strong commitment to service, life-long learning and helping our clients, the learners, become leaders of tomorrow.” Participants in this interactive workshop will work both individually, and as a team, to reflect on AC’s Customer Service Standards (CARES) and review various scenarios to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of service delivery excellence. Participants will discuss and have the opportunity to examine service delivery best practices and share some of their own proven techniques for dealing with customers effectively. Participants will have the opportunity to examine and apply service excellence techniques and skills, including: demonstrating listening to understand, empathize and deliver on diverse customer wants, needs and expectations handling complaints and difficult situations collaborating with colleagues to refer with certainty and to determine customer satisfaction developing effective customer service skills that support positive customer moments of truth experiencing greater job satisfaction, as part of our vital and caring AC service excellence team	View Offerings	Support Staff Academy
Being Well By Cultivating Our Resilience	Health and Wellness	Monday, September 18	Monday, January 15		Being Well by Cultivating our Resilience is a 4 week microlearning self-directed course with the opportunity of an end-of-week “1/2 hour” optional Peer Learning Exchange session. This course includes short curated online learning modules for the participation of all Algonquin employees. The Course Learning Objectives are designed to be outcomes-oriented and meaningful to the participant’s work or life and allows choices for flexibility based on the participant’s personal needs and abilities. After completion of this course, participants will be able to: build upon their present knowledge and experience in the area of personal resilience develop a greater awareness of ‘self’ and the importance of being proactive in cultivating resiliency in their everyday lives experiment, practice and choose from a variety of resiliency-building approaches and techniques that best fit their personal lifestyles plan and adopt a flexible and manageable program of activities to cultivate and sustain personal resilience take advantage of new opportunities to be creative including using online collaboration tools to share and offer feedback among colleagues This course is designed to support you as you need it. Our hope is that you will participate fully, however, if you are not able to participate in all weekly learning modules, you are also welcome to attend those that you can.	View Offerings	Support Staff Academy	Hybrid
Building Collaborative Union – Management Relationships	Leadership	Thursday, December 7	Thursday, March 28		Please Note This workshop is restricted to administrative staff with supervisory responsibility only. Administrators recognize the importance of adhering to Collective Agreements yet, sometimes, find it difficult when dealing with the challenges that come with the effective management of their team members. In this workshop, participants will have an opportunity to further develop the skills necessary to meet the challenges of managing in a unionized environment through exploring key information, small group discussion and the sharing of effective practice. By the end of the workshop, participants will have had the opportunity to: learn key information about collective agreements to leverage stronger relationships; create a network with other managers across the college for further support; and better understand the support available to managers from Human Resources.	View Offerings	Management Academy
Courageous Conversations	Leadership	Tuesday, December 5	Tuesday, February 13		Communication can take all kinds of forms and, when done effectively, can help us to build strong relationships both at work and in our personal lives. Often, we are presented with situations that require a difficult and / or uncomfortable conversation. Sometimes it takes “courage” to initiate such conversations. Through the sharing of effective practice, key strategies for success and case studies, participants will have an opportunity to learn and apply strategies that will make courageous conversations more positive and productive. This workshop will not address strategies for dealing with difficult conversations related to job performance. By the end of the workshop, participants will have had the opportunity to: Use a courageous conversation framework to prepare for a difficult conversation; Discover techniques to turn difficult conversations into productive conversations; Prepare and practice a 60 second opening statement for a difficult conversation; Connect with others who are willing to share effective practice and provide support in this area in the future.	View Offerings	Support Staff Academy	Hybrid
Financial Literacy – Learn to Optimize the Finance Infrastructure for Success	Leadership	Wednesday, November 22	Wednesday, January 17	Wednesday, May 22	This introductory session will provide participants with an overview of the Finance and Administrative Services Department of Algonquin College, as well as the Budgeting Process, Strategic Long Term Forecasting, and Funding models used by the College. This interactive session is intended to provide key information to new College employees so that they understand the fundamental financial components and accounting processes of Algonquin College, and to share Finance and Administrative Services Department information to support employees in succeeding in their new roles within Algonquin College. By the end of this workshop, participants will have had the opportunity to: Explore the budget process at Algonquin; and Understand the implications for individual departmental budgets.	View Offerings	Support Staff Academy, Management Academy
Internal Control – Financial Integrity	Leadership		Wednesday, February 21 (Cancelled)		Over many years, organizations develop standards and guidelines to help them create their internal control environment. While there may be some differences in the standards and guidelines they adopt, organizations strive to institute a control framework that promotes ethical and equitable asset management while being operationally efficient and transparent. As with any business, operational risks and inefficiencies can threaten their ability to achieve success. The College’s ability to take advantage of opportunities while effectively mitigate operational risks has a significant impact on our ability to remain financially sustainable. By the end of this workshop, participants will have had the opportunity to: Understand the College’s Internal Control Framework; Discuss Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP); Explore the concept of operating with Financial Integrity; and Identify where they can find support when faced with difficult financial decisions.	View Offerings	Management Academy, Support Staff Academy
Living in Change – A Practical Approach	Leadership	Tuesday, October 31		Wednesday, May 8	A successful change environment requires trust and takes strong guidance and leadership. An event like the adoption of a Strategic Plan or a new way of working requires transition from the known to the unknown. Statistically, change initiatives have a high degree of failure and can serve to polarize those who welcome the change from those that oppose it. Participants in this workshop will have the opportunity to discuss the methodology and to identify the natural reactions to change. Participants will learn the value of both positive and negative reactions and understand how each are important to the change process. By the end of this workshop, participants will have had the opportunity to: Explore effective models and strategies that facilitate change; Discuss resistance as an important part of the change process and its importance in achieving success; and Consider effective strategies for specific working environments.	View Offerings	Management Academy, Support Staff Academy
Program Quality Assurance	Leadership	Tuesday, November 14	Wednesday, February 28	Wednesday, May 29	The participants in this workshop examine how the Ministry of Colleges and Universities Binding Policy Directive ‘Framework for Programs of Instruction’ guides and informs key Algonquin College policies, processes, practices and tools related to new program development and ongoing quality assurance activities. These core activities ensure the College maintains program quality and currency, and meets the expectations set out by the Ministry and the Board of Governors. Session Goals: To provide guidance and support to new and near-new Chairs and Managers on academic quality assurance and related processes. To develop capacity and understanding amongst Chairs and Managers about academic quality assurance. To engage Chairs and Managers in discussions about academic quality assurance including best practices and common challenges.	View Offerings	Management Academy
Risk Management and Rocket Science – What They Have in Common	Workplace Role Skills			Thursday, June 27	This workshop will explain the fundamentals of Risk Management and the College Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Framework, using the College Policy and guideline for ERM as a backdrop. Participants are introduced to the risk management process including risk identification, risk analysis and risk assessment and will gain an understanding for College risk appetite in terms of the College risk categories of Strategic / Reputation, Financial, Legal/Compliance and Operational/Hazard. By the end of this workshop, participants will have had the opportunity to: Explore the fundamentals of risk management and the College’s Enterprise Risk Management Framework; Investigate the elements of the risk management process and the College’s risk categories; Understand the College’s appetite for risk; Explore the role of College administrators in mitigating risk; and Review the role of the risk management within the context of the broader governance, risk and compliance framework.	View Offerings	Management Academy
Salary Calculations	Leadership	Tuesday, November 14	Tuesday, April 2	Tuesday, June 11	Please Note This workshop is restricted to administrative staff with supervisory responsibility only. Designed for all academic managers, this workshop will provide an in-depth review of starting step placement calculations and the requirements of the collective agreement. Managers will be able to practice using samples and will be coached on best practices for a review of experience and credentials as it relates to discussions with job applicants. By the end of the workshop participants will have had the opportunity to: Review starting salary calculations within the parameters of the collective agreement; Apply starting step salaries in a variety of situations; and Share best practices.	View Offerings	Management Academy
Standard Workload Formula (SWFs)	Leadership	Thursday, October 12	Thursday, February 8	Thursday, May 2 (Cancelled)	Please Note This workshop is restricted to administrative staff with supervisory responsibility only. During this workshop, participants will have an opportunity to explore and discuss the provisions of articles 11.01 and 11.02 of the Academic Collective Agreement when developing workload assignments for full-time professors and instructors. This workshop will provide participants with the college’s interpretation of these provisions for reference when developing Standard Workload Forms (SWFs) By the end of this workshop, participants will have had the opportunity to: Understand the Article 11 SWF formula and how it is used to assign academic workload to Professors and Instructors; Gain knowledge of the process and timelines for assigning academic workload and submitting SWFs; and Understand the dispute resolution process related to SWFs.	View Offerings	Management Academy
Support Staff Classifications	Leadership	Tuesday, October 3	Thursday, March 7 (Cancelled)	Tuesday, June 25	Please Note This workshop is restricted to administrative staff with supervisory responsibility only. This workshop will provide an overview of the purpose and structure of the Position Description Form (PDF) for Support Staff. Managers will understand the function of the pointing process as a broader compensation structure in the CAAT system. Managers will be provided with sample PDFs in order to develop analytical and critical thinking skills, best practices related to PDF updates will be reviewed, and the arbitration process will be discussed. By the end of the workshop participants will have had the opportunity to: Investigate the purpose and structure of the PDF; Explore the pointing process; and Understand and share best practices for writing and updating PDFs.	View Offerings	Management Academy

Management & Support Staff Academies