The Certificate in Public Sector Management Program (CPSM)

Program Purpose:
In partnership with the University of Manitoba, the Certificate in Public Sector Management Program (CPSM) provides training in management skills with a focus on public policy, current issues and trends facing the civil service. The CPSM complements the Leadership Development Initiative and the Essentials of Supervision Certificate Program.

Target Audience:
The CPSM is exclusive to employees of the Manitoba Civil Service and designed to develop mid-level managers and professional staff who have technical skills but lack the management skills required for their position. Participants must be selected by their department for one of the 30 program spaces available each year. The CPSM provides an opportunity to acquire transferable post-secondary credits. 

Program Structure:
This year’s CPSM begins April 2, 2009 and will be delivered in a blended learning format using face-to-face classroom sessions and online learning.

The program is condensed into one year consisting of 5 core courses (180 hrs) and 36 hours of electives.  The core courses are delivered by the University of Manitoba and the electives are offered through OSD.  Each university course incorporates four face-to-face sessions; two scheduled on Thursday evenings (4hrs), and two all day on Fridays (7hrs).  The remainder of the course is delivered in an online format.  These sessions are scheduled twice a month with one required course completed approximately each month.  The required university courses will be held every other month commencing April 2009, with no courses scheduled in July or August.  The 36 hrs of OSD elective workshops and corresponding assignments are in addition to the five required university courses. 

The CPSM requires a significant commitment by both the participant and their department to enable program completion within one year. Participants can expect to dedicate an additional 35-40 hours outside of the scheduled classroom time for each of the five core courses.

Program Content:
Core Courses (180 hrs - University of Manitoba)
Organizational Behaviour - Explores, from a management perspective, how people act within the context of a specific organization. Participants will gain an understanding of the factors that shape behaviour within an organization in the context of individual, intra-group and inter-group behaviours.

Politics and Public Policy - Provides strong political studies orientation to help understand how the political process works. Participants will learn how programs are developed, passing from public aspirations, through development of legislation to administration of the program.

Public Finance and Budgeting – Explains the general theory of finance, budget development and financial control and provides practical applications of how budgets are developed and administered in government.

Current Issues in Public Sector Management - Focuses on the specific challenges and issues of managing in the public sector. Participants will critically assess the relevance of issues and generate strategies and methods for working with these issues. 

Case Studies in Public Sector Management – Integrates earlier learning in the field of public sector management. Participants will do case studies that model real-life situations faced by public sector managers.

Elective Workshops(36 hrs – Organizational & Staff Development)
Participants may select 36 elective course hours from the following OSD Workshops:

CPSM participants will be advised if additional Elective OSD workshops are approved. 

At the end of each elective workshop the participant is required to complete an assignment to demonstrate their knowledge and application of the workshop content.  Credit for the workshop is received after the participant has attended the workshop and passed the corresponding assignment.

Any of the above OSD Elective workshops completed within the past five years may be applied for credit towards the CPSM.  Contact OSD at 945-2276 for details.

Participants pay for the university courses and required course material in advance. Upon successful completion of each course, they will be reimbursed by their department.

Program Registration:
CPSM participants are selected by their department.  Once approved by the department, to register for the CPSM Program, please complete and return an OSD Program Registration form. When registered in the CPSM Program through OSD, participants must also register for each of the 5 university courses through the University of Manitoba, Extended Education.

Registrations into the OSD Elective workshops are submitted separately to OSD on an individual workshop basis.

More Information:
For more information on the CPSM contact us at 945-2276.