Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 67.16
Liaison Mike Versteege
Submission Date June 24, 2020
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Alberta
EN-9: Staff Professional Development

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.25 / 2.00 Cynthia Munro
Manager, Leadership & Professional Development, Organizational Development, Equity and Health
Human Resource Services
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Does the institution make available professional development and training opportunities in sustainability to all staff at least once per year?:
Yes

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (the rate of employee participation in sustainability professional development and training)?:
Yes

Estimated percentage of regular staff (full-time and part-time) that participates annually in sustainability professional development and training that is either provided or supported by the institution (0, 1-24%, 25-49%, 50-74%, 75% or more):
1-24%

If sustainability professional development and training opportunities for staff are made available or supported, provide at least one of the following:

A brief description of any internal sustainability professional development and training opportunities that the institution makes available to staff:
ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, EQUITY, AND HEALTH (ODEH) https://www.ualberta.ca/faculty-and-staff/learning-development/index.html https://www.ualberta.ca/faculty-and-staff/health-wellbeing/index.html The university's Organizational Development, Equity and Health (ODEH) unit, within Human Resource Services, has the primary accountability for professional development (PD) for all levels of staff in the institution, though there are 30+ other units that also provide a variety of PD and leadership development opportunities. Topics related to healthy and psychologically safe workplaces, communication, and social sustainability are embedded throughout the programs. ODEH, the Office of the Provost, and the Peter Lougheed Leadership College offer leadership development programs for senior administrative academics (deans, chairs, directors, administrative professional officers, and supervisors). Topics related to human rights, employment equity, duty to accommodate, psychological safety, and healthy workplaces are significant components of the programs, with the provision of at least a half-day of theory and opportunities for discussion. In addition, ODEH offers programming for individuals to build core competencies in areas such as respect in the workplace, conflict resolution and equity, diversity, and inclusion. In 2017, a major initiative was launched to explore the current systems that support professional development (PD) and career mobility (CM) at the institution, and to identify and address barriers to accessing PD and CM. The final report with 4 key recommendations has been presented to senior executive, which includes strategies to expand access and reduce financial and other systematic barriers to people’s growth and development, in addition to strategies to foster collaboration among the 30+ providers of PD at the institution. ODEH-DELIVERED PROGRAMS Through these programs, the university develops core competency and leadership development programming designed to enable people to be successful in the workplace. EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION (EDI) https://www.ualberta.ca/faculty-and-staff/learning-development/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/index.html This program focuses on principles surrounding social sustainability and development related to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Employees can take part in any of the following sessions: - EDI: What is it and why does it matter? - Overview of the EDI Strategic Plan - Recognizing and Addressing Bullying in the Workplace - Creating Inclusive Workplaces - From Bias Awareness to Action SUPPORTING A HEALTHY WORKPLACE https://www.ualberta.ca/human-resource-services/hrs-news/2019/october/supporting-a-healthy-workplace.html By means of multiple methods of delivery (e.g., Lunch and Learns, online courses, workshops) Human Resources Services provides year-round opportunities for staff to build their knowledge and gain insight about creating a healthy workplace. OTHER (NON-ODEH-DELIVERED) PROGRAMS GREEN LABS E-CLASS https://www.ualberta.ca/vice-president-finance/environment-health-and-safety/training/index.html The Green Labs eClass course was completed in 2019 to provide the university’s laboratory research community with information on how to make their labs more environmentally friendly. Green Labs introduces the concept of sustainability and then covers modules relevant to working in a UAlberta lab or conducting fieldwork (modules include waste handling, energy, chemicals, water, and fieldwork). The course is freely available to university members through the university’s EHS training portal. INSTITUTE FOR SEXUAL MINORITY STUDIES & SERVICES (iSMSS) https://www.ualberta.ca/ismss/professional-development iSMSS offers professional development programs in several programs, which include: Safe Spaces, Family Resiliency Project, and the Alberta GSA Network. These programs offer staff and others involved with the university’s community. Free workshop can be requested by departments or are available through weekly online delivery. SUSTAINABLE PURCHASING WORKSHOP https://www.ualberta.ca/vice-president-finance/supply-management-services/sustainablepurchasing/index.html Sustainable Purchasing Workshop opportunity is offered on the Supply Management Services (SMS) website. The workshop is by request for anyone within the campus community. Participants learn about the life cycle of a product from beginning to end (extraction of raw materials to disposal), and the environmental impact of products at different stages during this cycle. Participants also learn about UAlberta's Green Procurement Principles and how they can apply these principles to reduce the impact of their purchases.

A brief description of any external professional development and training opportunities in sustainability that are supported by the institution(e.g. through payment, reimbursement, or subsidy):
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Optional Fields 

Estimated percentage of regular staff (full-time and part-time) for which sustainability is included in performance reviews (0, 1-24%, 25-49%, 50-74%, 75% or more) :
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBLE PARTIES Kimberly MacLock Learning and Development Consultant Organizational Development, Equity and Health Human Resource Services

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.