Here is a list of advanced courses offered by the PSAC. They are usually held ‘in residence’ and last 2 to 4 days.
Advanced Steward Training (AST)
This training will be of interest to members who have taken the TUB and/or Grievance Handling and who have some experience representing members on workplace problems. The focus of this course will be on the attitudes, knowledge, and skills required by the effective Union Representative. Topics will include the Duty of Fair Representation; building a case file; communicating with complainants and grievors; case analysis and preparation; and making effective presentations to management.
Area Council Training
The goal of this training is to facilitate the active formation and effective organization of Area Councils throughout B.C. Area Councils provide a formal structure by which locals of Components in defined geographic areas can work together to profile the union in the community and advance the interests of Alliance members. Area Councils can name delegates to the B.C. Regional Convention, as well as the PSAC Triennial Convention, and therefore are a significant means by which members can have political “voice” in the affairs of their union. Participants for the Area Council Training will be identified by the District Coordinators on the B.C. Regional Council. If you would like to be active in creating a new Area Council or strengthening an existing Area Council, please be sure to indicate your interest to your Regional Council District Coordinator.
Anti Harassment Training
This course will be useful to members who have had some harassment awareness training and who have responsibility in the local to advise and/or represent members on harassment complaints. It will also be of interest to local executive officers and stewards who have responsibility to ensure PSAC Policy 23 (Workplace Harassment) is properly implemented.
The training will include respectful workplace behaviour and interaction; a thorough review of the union’s policy on workplace harassment (Policy 23A) ; and principles drawn from case law. We will work with actual cases to hone our case analysis and presentation skills. We will also examine the features of an acceptable investigation and the various roles during an employer investigation.
Health and Safety Activism
A safe and healthy workplace is a basic union worker right. This course will re-empower members to ensure we have secure workplaces. Participants will start with their own knowledge of their work, and workplaces, and will critically examine the risks and responsibilities of workers and employers, including the notion of “worker carelessness”. Participants will develop action plans to mobilize members and to ensure the employer provides the necessary tools, training and funding to support a healthy and safe workplace.
Human Rights Training
This 3-day course explores human rights issues, analyzes discrimination in its various forms and leads to strategies to address unequal treatment at the workplace, in the union, and in society at large. The course will be of interest to those members who wish to join a network of human rights activists in the PSAC who are working together to promote equality, eliminate discrimination, and encourage participation of equity-seeking groups in their union.
Members who apply for this course must be supportive of all PSAC policy statements on human rights and related issues. This program is not for members who have had limited exposure to human rights issues and see this course as an opportunity to become sensitized. Priority for seat selection will be given to those members who belong to the equity-seeking groups defined in PSAC policy – i.e., racially visible members; aboriginal members; members with disabilities; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members; and women.
Local Officers Advanced Training (LOAT) (5 days)
Application Deadline: June 30th, 2009 (late applications will not be accepted)
Please note: The LOAT is open to Stewards and Local Officers. Prerequisite: Talking Union Basics (TUB).
Strong and effective Locals are the building blocks of our Union. They are essential to having a mobilized membership. Education is critical to the development of strong and effective Locals. National Board of Directors (NBoD)
Are you a Local Officer and/or Steward? Are you interested in finding new ways to make your local executive function more efficiently? Do you want to gain tools and knowledge that will help you develop leadership, problem-solving and mobilization skills? Do you want to meet and network with other members from across the region and share skills and experiences?
Then the Local Officers Advanced Training (LOAT) is the course for you! The LOAT is an Advanced, In-Residence course that is geared specifically towards Local Officers and Stewards. The LOAT will provide you with an in-depth understanding of the tools necessary to run effective locals and provide you with the skills needed to be a successful union activist.
Course content includes the role of the local executive, strategic planning, local activities, local committees and terms of reference, communicating and recruiting, building an inclusive union, representation issues, local meetings, improving the rights and protections of union representatives and many other topics. Participants will also learn about social activism and how to involve members in the broader labour movement!
Expenses:
Loss of Salary – Participants scheduled to work during the course will be reimbursed loss of salary.
In-Residence Courses – The LOAT is an Advanced, In-Residence Course and all participants for this course will be provided accommodation and considered in travel status.
Family Care – The PSAC covers family care expenses for PSAC courses, union schools and other education events.
For further details regarding expense entitlements, please click here.
Political Action Training Program
Our rights as workers and as concerned citizens fighting for social change are in danger of disappearing completely from the political agenda. The federal election looms around the corner and the political landscape is set to shift more drastically then ever before, both federally and provincially. Whether the direct impact is on your job or on the community you live in, the time for action is now.
Join other PSAC members in BC and take a leadership role in ensuring that the rights of our members are a critical priority in the upcoming months. At stake is the future of the public service and civil society at large.
This 5 day advanced course will provide you with the tools necessary for playing a key role in the upcoming election and other political action campaigns. Participants will create an action plan and will be expected to actively apply their knowledge in the upcoming months. The course will focus on the “hot” issues of the day, how they will affect our members and the skills needed to take the union’s message to the membership and the electorate at large. Topics include: direct action, media and communications planning, coalition building, defending public services, lobbying, campaigning, globalization and using the internet for political action.
UDP (Union Development Program)
UDP is the PSAC’s leadership development course. It trains activists to move into leadership positions as elected officers and staff. Equally important, it trains people to exercise leadership at the level at which they currently function. The role of UDP is to expand as well as regenerate the leadership base. The Union Development Program consists of 3 levels of 5-6 days each. Participants must complete all three levels.
Areas of study for the UDP include: Union Principles, the Organizing Model, Speaking to the Issues, Recruiting Activists, Local Development, Decision-Making in the Alliance, International Solidarity, developing and promoting an Inclusive Union, Charting the Future of the PSAC.
By the end of the UDP participants will be able to:
describe their collective vision of social justice and the role of unions in achieving that vision;
define the philosophy, structures and political dynamics of the Alliance and of the broader union movement;
analyze some of the issues of current significance to Canadian working people and their unions;
demonstrate leadership in pursuit of their vision;
Commit to working through the union for positive social change that effectively addresses the needs of working people.
Each UDP will have a maximum of 20 participants.
The potential UDP candidate is a member who:
has demonstrated a solid commitment to the union’s cause and to the underlying principles of collective action and social justice;
has a well-developed understanding of the basics essential to union activism, including union principles and practices;
has demonstrated initiative in furthering her or his own union development through active experience and participating in courses or conferences;
has demonstrated a willingness to assume leadership responsibilities within the union;
will commit to fulfilling all of the obligations of UDP, including participation on three separate 5 – 6 day sessions;
learning events and specific work assignments in between the learning events (3 to 6 months in total)
has the will, ability and commitment to use her or his UDP experience to assume a leadership role in the union.
Women At Work
60% of PSAC members are women and the numbers of women in leadership positions are increasing every year. This course will help participants continue the momentum of building real equality in our Union and in our communities. Participants will explore our herstory and understand the importance of a feminist analysis in ensuring our collective agreements, our union structures and our communities reflect our principles and our goals. We will also develop strategies to advance women’s issues, both locally and globally.
This course is open to PSAC members who are women.