Evaluation of the Department of Justice Professional Development Function
2. Profile of the professional development function
The function is based on three main delivery providers.
- The Continuing Legal Education Program (CLEP) is responsible for the planning and delivery of wide-ranging legal training on substantive legal content and skills development for all departmental employees.Footnote 4 In addition, CLEP is the main interlocutor with provincial law societies in relation to the accreditation of legal learning to lawyers which varies among law societies across Canada. The Program also manages the accreditation of activities, when applicable, for both the Centre of Expertise for Learning and Professional Development (LPD) and the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS).
- The Centre of Expertise for Learning and Professional Development (formerly Professional Development Directorate) is responsible for common, non-legal, and Justice Canada learning not available through the CSPS. LPD also manages the relationship with CSPS and acts as a liaison.
- The Canada School of Public Service offers a broad range of government-wide learning opportunities. Beginning in 2014-15, CSPS became the provider of core curriculum common to all public servants.
Figure 1: Current Framework for the Justice Canada Professional Development Function
Text version - Current Framework for the Justice Canada Professional Development Function
There are four different coloured shapes in figure 1 to depict the current framework for the Justice professional development function. The first three shapes are circles with the text: CLEP – Legal Training, CSPS – Government-wide Learning, and LPD – Non-legal Learning. An oval shape is positioned below all three circles with the text: Portfolios, Sectors and Regions – Legal and Non-legal Learning.
2.1. Professional Development Activities
The evaluation examined information on the types of PD activities currently available in the Department, and the nature and extent of participation.
PD activities can be offered internally, externally or through CSPS. For the purpose of this evaluation, the following definitions were applied:
- Internal training - courses that have been developed or offered by the Department.
- External training - activities offered through other departments or private sector providers, excluding CSPS.
- CSPS training - courses taken with the School either online on GCcampus or in-person at CSPS in-class training and events.
According to PeopleSoft data, internal training registrations were the most common, followed by external training and CSPS training. The Department offers a wide range of internal training, mostly in-class courses, workshops and in-person or web-based conferences.
Based on both PeopleSoft data and the online survey results, legal training was the most frequent category of training. According to the survey results, the majority of respondents reported participating in PD focused on Substantive Law (52%) and Legal Skills and Practices (45%). The next most frequent categories of PD were Government/Departmental Priorities (37%) and Personal and Professional Effectiveness (36%). Employees who recorded their training hours spent, on average, between a half-day and three days per year on PD. The most frequent methods of delivery for internal training were in-class training, followed by virtual (WebEx, Webcast, videoconference) and online training. The most frequent methods of delivery for CSPS training were online training, followed by in-class training, and virtual (WebEx, Webcast, videoconference) training. The most frequent methods of delivery for external training were in-class training, conferences/events, and online training.
2.2. Legal Training
According to the online survey and PeopleSoft data, an extensive array of individual legal training courses, workshops and other modes of PD are available to employees at the Department and are mainly delivered internally. Legal courses offered in the Department are informally grouped into different law series by CLEP as a way to manage the large totality of courses available. For example, there are courses in different practice areas which include, among others, Aboriginal law, access to information and privacy, commercial law, dispute prevention and resolution, and human rights.
Portfolios, sectors and regional offices of the Department also provide PD of various types that they develop and manage themselves or with CLEP’s assistance. A detailed review of the entire spectrum of such courses offered by the portfolios, sectors and regional offices was not possible within the scope of the current evaluation.
2.3. Non-Legal Training
LPD is responsible for the management and delivery of PD in areas other than law which are common to all departmental employees, and manages the relationship with CSPS. Examples of LPD course offerings include: improving communication (briefing notes, effective presentations); administration, management and financial management; personal development (retirement planning and personal resiliency); mental health (The Working Mind, emotional intelligence and managing stress); and New Employee Orientation.
CSPS also offers a wide range of government-wide learning opportunities. Beginning in 2014-15, in support of Blueprint 2020, the Government of Canada announced an enterprise-wide commitment to learning, with the School playing a central role in the design and delivery of common curriculum to support the operation of all federal institutions, regardless of mandate or location.Footnote 5 They provide courses on the Phoenix Pay and Benefits system, government organization and job classifications, security awareness, values and ethics, green procurement, special learning events, armchair discussions, and executive leadership development courses.
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