Evaluation of the Department of Justice Professional Development Function

1. Introduction

Professional Development (PD) is recognized by the federal government and by the Department of Justice (the Department) as an essential element in ensuring that employees are equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively deliver on their work objectives.Footnote 1 Additionally, employees need to be offered the possibility to develop new skills to meet both departmental business requirements as well as career aspirations. For Justice Canada lawyers, PD training is required by law societies in order to maintain their license to practice law.

1.1 Purpose and Scope of the Evaluation

The evaluation assessed the effectiveness and efficiency of the PD activities offered by the Department to its employees, including legal professionals and other professionals.Footnote 2 These activities included training courses, workshops, seminars and conferences. On-the-job learning activities such as seeking advice from peers, coaching, mentoring,Footnote 3 job shadowing, short-term assignments, secondments, reading resources and participation in communities of practice were not included in the scope of the evaluation.

The evaluation was conducted in accordance with Treasury Board’s Policy on Results (2016). Financial data and PD activities were reviewed over a period of five years (2012-13 to 2016-17) with a greater focus on 2016-17 where more data was available. The approach to examining effectiveness and efficiency, and the measures used to assess progress, are outlined in the Evaluation Matrix (see Appendix A).