JSEPSL - Excellence in Public Sector Leadership (EPSL)
Excellence in Public Sector Leadership
Many new and emerging leaders are asked to take on roles that involve a significant change agenda. As a leader, you must reconcile a dynamic political environment and evolving public expectations with technological advances and a modern, motivated, and engaged workforce, to develop an organizational culture built on excellence. The Excellence in Public Sector Leadership (EPSL) program provides the tools and insights necessary to lead and navigate this turbulent and exhilarating journey.
EPSL is a training program built around four core themes – Leading Self as a Public Servant (Self), Leading Others as a Public Servant (Others), Public Service Excellence (Excellence), and Achieving Results in Public Service (Results). Leaders in the public service face unique challenges and opportunities, and the EPSL program is designed to address these complexities. The program is developed and delivered by experienced former senior public servants who can share their insights and real-life experiences and approach leadership from a practical perspective.
Delivery
The EPSL program has an online, blended delivery. Weekly online learning modules are self-paced and followed by weekly online workshops.
Course Outline
This program consists of course work and explores the these four themes: Self, Others, Excellence, and Results. To achieve certification, you must complete the following requirements:
- Required Introductory Module
- Theme: Leading Self as a Public Servant (Self)
- Theme: Leading Others as a Public Servant (Others)
- Theme: Public Sector Excellence (Excellence)
- Theme: Achieving Results in Public Service (Results)
- Final Capstone Report
Each theme includes three core learning modules and a deeper dive workshop. You must choose 2 out of 4 deeper dives to attend, though you may attend more if you prefer.
The Self-Assessment & Capstone Module is to be completed before your first themed module and the Final Capstone Report is to be completed in the month following your last module.
Learner Outcomes
The EPSL was created for new and emerging public sector leaders and is designed to be flexible to fit into your busy schedule. To get the most out of this program, you are encouraged to take an active role in your learning journey—bringing curiosity, commitment, and a willingness to reflect deeply on how the concepts apply to your own leadership practice. Success in this program relies on a self-directed mindset and a readiness to engage with ideas both in and between live sessions.
The time commitment for the EPSL is approximately 3 hours per week for regular weekly modules and 5 hours for the monthly deeper dives (you only need to attend 2 out of 4 deeper dives). These times may vary, as everyone learns at their own pace. Your Final Capstone Report will assess how successfully you have incorporated the program’s learning into your own professional life.
By the end of the EPSL program, leaders will be well-equipped to:
- analyze the impacts of leadership, policy, strategy, change, engagement, and teamwork on public policy challenges that allow you to identify risk, motivate teams, innovate, implement change, and evaluate success
- draw an association between public sector challenges and leadership opportunities, behaviours, and competencies to enable improvement and successful policy implementation
- anticipate and proactively address evolving organizational, political, and environmental changes
- share insights and best practices with an expanded network of public service leaders across Saskatchewan and Canada