Being a leader in itself is a challenge. But when an employee arrives in the position with strong technical skills and little or no management experience, the role can be overwhelming to navigate.
When Legal Aid Saskatchewan began introducing mandatory annual performance reviews and new performance management policies, the organization recognized that additional training for its management team would be required. “People had been promoted into leadership positions without formal leadership training and we knew we wanted to fill that gap,” says Olga Sadikova, Director of People & Culture, Legal Aid.
With a list of specific requirements in mind, Legal Aid reached out to CCE. “Their needs were unique,” recalls Heather Renshaw, Business Development Consultant. “The focus was on developing leadership skills as well as management skills – the most urgent being performance management. Their senior team needed skills to successfully role-out their new programs and policies with staff. The question was: How best to do this?”
Renshaw and the facilitator team set to work learning more about Legal Aid and building a program that would fully align with their objectives. "We started with a needs assessment and talked about their specific goals, their desired outcomes and any foreseeable issues and concerns. We took an existing curriculum and then identified ways in which we could refine the content and make it more relevant."
Other considerations included the fact that the Legal Aid management team was located across the province which meant training would need to be conducted remotely. And, as the target audience was comprised primarily of lawyers and legal directors with busy schedules, the sessions needed to be short.
"We were also able to build in a lot of flexibility so we could accommodate the many conflicting schedules." - Olga Sadikova
The result was a fully customized leadership certificate with both leadership and management components that was specific to Legal Aid. Learners could enrol to take all seven 14-hour courses via Zoom to complete the Professional Certificate as a cohort, or take individual courses that aligned with their learning needs. For the 33 students, the approach and instruction were well-received says Sadikova. "Participants really liked having the subject matter expert present for each of the modules and hearing relevant real-life examples."
The custom program offered additional benefits. “Learning alongside colleagues in this type of program brings the added benefit of team building and networking,” says Renshaw. “When leaders transition into new roles that have people reporting to them, it takes a specific set of skills that need to be learned and developed. This program gives them those skills and helps them to realize their potential so it’s valuable for personal and professional development.”
As more and more companies and organizations benefit from custom training, the demand continues to grow. “Being able to access federal and provincial funding for training has been a driver for many organizations. These grants will cover anywhere from two-thirds up to 100% of the cost of custom or open enrollment training for non-government and not-for-profit organizations,” notes Renshaw.
For many organizations including Legal Aid, it is the investment in their employees that is the biggest pay-off. “Working with the CCE team was such a pleasure,” says Sadikova. “Now our Legal Directors and Managers have a toolbox in their hands that can be used to successfully manage employee performance which, in turn, should help improve employee engagement and retention.”
Learn About More of Our Programs
Professional Development Has Never Been More Affordable
Take advantage of these funding options:
Canada-Saskatchewan Job Grant for up to $10,000 for employee training.
URAA Alumni Professional Development Award valued at up to $500.
Canada Training Credit for $250 per year (unused years carry forward).
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