Workplace Skills
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At the University of Alberta we’ve experienced tremendous change and yet we are united in our goal to inspire the human spirit through excellence in teaching and learning, discovery and citizenship.
Whether you are in an academic or administrative role, work in a research lab, or in facilities and operations, every employee at the University of Alberta shares in driving this vision forward. Building and deepening our workplace skills will help us address the challenges we face and move us towards our goals.
About
Workplace skills training equips University of Alberta employees with transferable professional behaviours and skills that support effective collaboration, process excellence, and personal awareness, accountability, and productivity. Training sessions draw on current research and are facilitated by experts to deliver high impact workshops related to our six curricular areas:
- Working with others.
- Communication.
- Personal effectiveness.
- Problem solving and innovation.
- Process excellence.
Workplace skills training moves beyond the abstract and theoretical to context specific application. In these day-long, in-person sessions, participants take a deep dive into a variety of topics that support their day to day work. These skills building sessions take an experiential, interactive, and practical approach where participants apply concepts and tools through practice and critical reflection that immediately translate into their work.
Why these areas? Learn more about the campus-wide needs analysis.
Eligibility
Workplace skills training is open to all University of Alberta employees.
Cost
Workplace skills training is free to all University of Alberta employees.
Availability
There are 45 seats in each workplace skills workshop. Registration in the sessions are on a first come, first serve basis.
Workplace Skills Curriculum
Instructors
Maxine Clarke, MSc (Organizational Development), PCC
Maxine has 20 years of experience helping leaders, teams and organizations learn and change. Her expertise in and love of both management strategies and human behaviour enable her to make change in organizations that is truly transformational, and therefore sustainable. Through the combination of external consulting and internal leadership roles, she has worked with organizations in the education, healthcare, construction, engineering, and regulatory sectors, leading complex, multi-stakeholder projects focused on enabling changes that impact people, process and/or technology. This includes advising and coaching senior leaders, as well as consulting with and training leaders and employees at all levels. Her volunteer work reflects passions for learning and equity. A proud U of A alumna, she holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Science in Organizational Development, and is a certified project manager and professional coach.
Tyree McCrackin, MA, BEd
Tyree McCrackin is a consultant with the Organizational Development team at the University of Alberta. Prior to this role he was a coach and career professional working with students, postdoctoral scholars, and alumni at the University of Alberta's Career Centre, where he was the Team Lead for the Transition to Careers program. Before coming to the University of Alberta, Tyree worked in human resources in various oil and gas-related industries. He has worked as a career advisor, helping clients with work search documents, interview preparation and career management strategies. Tyree has a BA and BEd from the University of Calgary and an MA from the University of Alberta.
Lyall Samaroden
Lyall Samaroden is all about helping individuals and teams build their innovation and change capability. Market leaders within government, media, insurance, automotive, energy, and the defense sectors have turned to Lyall for exceptional results during times of disruption. Lyall is a leader in the emergent field of Design Thinking. He uses human-centered tools and techniques to help his clients think differently, see new opportunities, and shape the future.
Lyall is a proud alumni of the JR Shaw School of Business at NAIT. Like other busy parents out there, he is actively pursuing his Master’s in Life Administration. J Lyall is a certified ExperienceChangeTM, ExperienceInnovationTM and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitator.
He is also Prosci® certified. Lyall’s energy, theatrics and thought leadership puts him in constant demand as a keynote speaker and leadership trainer.
Wendy Wilton, M.Ed (DE), ACC
For over two decades, Wendy Wilton has brought her energy, enthusiasm and expertise to training development and facilitation, engaging with learners from across North America. Moving from the private sector into consulting, she has worked with clients from diverse fields including nursing, banking, engineering, health care, the energy sector and various levels of government. In addition to a Masters in Education and a Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching from Royal Roads University, Wendy holds numerous certifications in tools and assessments such as DiSC, Meyers Briggs, Strength Deployment Inventory, EQi 2.0 and Organizational Relationship Systems Coaching.