Registration is open for new and enhanced employee learning and development courses, programs and series via YU Learn, designed to drive York University's strategic focus and talent mobility and support the York U Forward Action Plan priorities.
The 2024-25 lineup of employee courses, programs and series represents the "critical learning content that we know matters to employees and the organization as we evolve and change," says Jennifer Sipos, director of organizational learning and people excellence.
The latest offerings continue to emphasize five broad capability areas, with a range of courses and topics within each one. The five areas are: change management; digital collaboration; healthy teams; service excellence; and leadership and talent agility.
Within each category, new titles and enhanced topics focus on emergent skills and future-focused work, including: generative artificial intelligence, power business intelligence, coaching skills, neurodiverse teams, the people side of change, culture change and accountability, balancing workload, career navigation and personal brand, crucial communication for healthy conflict, leadership skills, working with data and more.
This year, most employee programming continues virtually. Many courses are instructor-led, with a range of complementary, self-paced learning, e-learning modules and curated learning paths in LinkedIn Learning. To maximize accessibility, the scheduling of offerings has increased flexibility, with more modes of delivery and a range of program types including new rapid learn (one-hour) sessions.
"With a shifting workforce and new ways of working, many of our colleagues are understandably looking to maximize relevant skills and competencies to both grow personally and to thrive in change," says Leigh Scott, York's assistant vice-president human resources.
"In this dynamic and complex environment, it is imperative to have a workforce ready to support York achieving its core mission to be a top-ranked teaching and research university," says Laina Bay-Cheng, vice-president equity, people and culture. This year's suite of employee learning opportunities reflects and respects York's diverse community of learners while highlighting the critical learning content to help leaders and teams do their best work, achieve shared results and grow individual talent.
Some highlights from 2024-25 offerings:
- Skill and competency development offerings include talent-focused (soft skills) and technology-focused (digital skills) courses designed to empower employees to build new and emergent skills, transfer and sustain the learning, and manage career goals and plans.
- Within the technology-focused series options is the Digital Workplace Series: Foundations and Digital Workplace Series: Leveling Up series, within which employees can choose courses to build and enhance their skills, as well as fulfill series requirements.
- Leadership and management development courses and forums reflect different levels of leadership learning, as well as programs that are cohort based including: Emerging Leaders U, Leader U, and Executive U. Registration for U Programs will be available January 2025 for start dates in winter/spring.
- Career navigation and talent mobility programming supports employees experiencing career change or seeking career advancement, with courses including Understanding Your Strengths; Effective Resume and Cover Letter Writing ; Enhancing Interview Techniques; and Building Your Personal Brand, Creating a Network.
- Organizational onboarding includes eight new onboarding series for distinct roles and needs, with updated naming conventions to provide greater clarity for the learning experience. These courses are available for new and continuing York employees, and feature a combination of required and recommended courses.
- Customized services for unit leaders, people managers, teams: opportunities are available year-round to people managers, unit leaders and teams on a by-request basis and include: change management consultation and learning; facilitated dialogue in challenge and change; organizational effectiveness consultation; team skills development; leadership coaching and performance consultation. Those interested are encouraged to use the Request a Customized Service form.
- Customized services for individual employees are also available year-round on a by-request basis. Employees can submit their requests via the Request a Customized Service form for: career consultations; career coaching; skills development consultations and plans; resume and interview support; or instructional design consultation.
Full details and/or registration are available now via YU Learn. For additional information, visit yulink.
This story was originally featured in YFile, York University's community newsletter.
