Nova Scotia Community College
EN-9: Staff Professional Development and Training

1. Education for Sustainability (EFS) is a blended on-line and 3-day residency course examining sustainability through the lens of higher education. It is a multi-disciplinary, introspective and progressive process of portfolio learning that steers the learner through various levels of awareness on three levels: inward, outward and global while addressing both personal and professional impacts and contributions.
EFS is an elective credit course in NSCC's Community College Education Diploma Program (CCEDP); a diploma required by all faculty and professional support employees of the College during the probationary period. Offered annually, all employee groups are eligible to enroll. Organizational Learning covers all costs excluding travel.
The course grew from an EFS 3-day workshop to a CCEDP self-directed credit, into an elective credit course. The employees who have attended have come from various disciplines and employee groups: managers, faculty, professional support, operational support and support staff; trades, administration, science, business, technology, social sciences, health, etc.
Each year of the course is documented on private class wikis which houses the recorded comments, group-work, reflections and observations from the class. The course outline and all video-related materials are stored online on prezi for 24/7 access. The course is facilitated in-house enhanced by guest-speakers, nature-based learning, peer teaching and team projects. Six months after the course, learners are contacted by the facilitators to discuss how they have applied or are applying their learning. In the past few years, faculty and staff have made significant changes to their courses, programs and lifestyles after completing the course.
• Facilitators: Bobbi Dunham, Martha MacGowan, Kirk Herman

2. Facilities Staff Learning Conference (FSLC) annual conference for operational support employees offers a 'sustainability track' which includes workshops, nature-based activities and guest speakers.

3. Support Staff Learning Conference (SSLC) annual conference for all administrative support employees offers sustainability workshops, nature-based activities and guest speakers.

4. Digital Innovation and Technology hosts an annual conference for all Digital Innovation and Technology staff and offers diversity & inclusion workshops, workshops to help clients minimize energy and greenhouse gas emissions by conducting virtual meetings, and explore the latest technologies available to assist with operations of day-to-day business.

Nova Scotia Community College offers a learning leave to staff with regular status, have a minimum of five years “continuous service” with NSCC and have not taken part in a long-term Learning Leave under a Collective Agreement within the past five years. This leave allows staff to participate in external professional development and training opportunities while still receiving 100% of their normal salary and benefits during their leave. Staff are eligible to take either a Short-term leave, one to four months, or a Long-term leave, four to 12 months. Staff need to plan their leave three to four months prior to the application due date of August 15th. Learning leaves are reviewed and approved by a review committee comprised of two staff members (faculty, operational, or professional support), two managers (faculty, operational, or professional support), the Director or designate (faculty, operational, or professional support), and Organizational Learning. Staff are required to provide a mid-term report (for long-term leaves) detailing their progress to date and a final report documenting learning as well as evidence completion of learning goals.