Essential Training Curriculum (ETC) for Employees: Frequently Asked Questions

Answer: As part of the ESDC Learning Policy, all employees must complete the Essential Training Curriculum (ETC) so that they have the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies to carry out their duties safely, effectively, and efficiently. This is fundamental to strengthening the capacity of the Department to deliver on its mandate.

A well-trained, competent and capable workforce is the key to building a higher-performing organization. ESDC's Guidelines for Essential Training provide a departmental framework for essential training that is integral to performance management.

Reference: ESDC's Guidelines for Essential Training (PDF, 828 KB)

Answer: On an annual basis, HRSB, in consultation with functional managers (subject matter experts) in the branches, recommend departmental learning requirements to the Portfolio Management Board (PMB) for final approval.

Answer: In the Policy on People Management, the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) identifies required courses and certifications that are mandatory for all employees in the federal public service (formerly known as “Required Training”), (see also: The Directive on Mandatory Training). The Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) is the official training provider for the federal public service.

The ESDC Essential Training Curricula are approved by senior management (Portfolio Management Board) and include:

• TBS’ mandatory courses and programs; and
• Other training needed for all ESDC employees to perform in their role of employee, manager or executive.

The College@ESDC is responsible for designing curricula for ESDC Essential Training and offering the training to ESDC employees. Refer to the ESDC Guidelines for Essential Training for information about requirements and completion timeframes for essential training.

Answer: The ETC is designed to help you keep pace with the knowledge and skills we need to serve Canadians and our colleagues with excellence.

Answer: Visit the employees, managers and executives sections of the ETC main page for detailed instructions on how to finalize your registration and get started.

Note to team leaders, supervisors, managers and executives: You must complete the ESDC Essential Training Curriculum for Employees as well as your manager or executive curriculum.

Answer: No. When you complete your registration to the curriculum (Select Register and Complete Registration), you will notice that all training you need to complete will be marked as In Progress. This includes:

• Any courses that you did not complete from the previous ESDC Mandatory Training Curriculum by March 31, 2021; and
• All new courses that have been added to your curriculum.

For a complete listing of all new courses and requirements for each curricula, visit the Curriculum Overview section for employees, managers and executives.

Answer: Your courses are organized by completion deadline to help you plan your training completion with your workload. Although we recommend that you complete the training in the order they appear, we also suggest discussing this with your manager.

Answer: Yes, your manager will be able to see the status and progress of all of your training activities, including when you have successfully completed a course. Make sure to confirm your manager (DOCX, 368 KB) so that they can track your progress and verify your training is completed.

Answer: No, manager approval is not required for ESDC Essential Training courses.

Answer: To make sure your CSPS learning is properly captured in your Saba profile, make sure that your current ESDC/Service Canada email address is listed in your CSPS GCcampus profile:

1. Log in to your GCcampus account;
2. Select your name, located on the bar along the top of your screen, and then select Profile;
3. Select Edit Profile and make sure your departmental email address is listed, and;
4. Review the section Job Information and make sure your organization is listed as ESDC. You can update your classification and job title at the same time, too.

If you need help with your GCcampus account, please contact CSPS' Client Contact Centre.

Answer: ETC course completion information is transferred from CSPS to Saba at the beginning of every month. If you complete a CSPS course at the end of the month, your Saba profile will be updated within 6 weeks.

• Values and Ethics Foundations for Employees (C255)
• Who We Work For (C218)
• Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention for Employees (W101)

Answer: These courses are available for you to complete in Saba and we strongly recommend you complete the courses using this system.

Answer: If you previously completed one or more of the new CSPS courses but your learning history does not show them as complete:

1. Make sure you have followed the steps in Question 10.
2. If your GCcampus profile was not up to date at the time you completed the course or if you completed the course longer than two months ago, please contact nc-college-gd@servicecanada.gc.ca for assistance.

Answer: If you have difficulties accessing and/or launching the courses, contact the National Service Desk.

Answer: For more information or general inquiries, contact your regional Learning Centre or Branch Learning Coordinator. For questions regarding Authority Delegation Training (ADT), contact your Regional Required Training Representative.

Answer:

1. Successful: Courses that were completed in full;
2. Completed by equivalent: You have been given credit for completing a comparable course. Select the course title to learn more about the criteria used to determine the equivalency for your course.
3. In Progress: Courses that you have started but have not completed.
4. Pending Registration: You have not completed registration of the curriculum.

Answer: There is no longer a recertification process for SIWB, so once you complete this updated version of the course and successfully complete the test, you will be marked as “SUCCESSFUL” in Saba.

Answer:

1. Security 101: It Starts With You!
2. Doing Things Right & Doing the Right Thing: Putting the Departmental Code of Conduct into Action (Values & Ethics)
3. IT Security Essentials
4. Information Management: Yours to Manage!
5. Access to Information & Privacy (ATIP)
6. Values and Ethics

Answer: The redesigned SIWB course now includes the SIWB test and you must successfully complete the course as part of your ETC requirements for 2021–22.

Answer: The pass mark for the SIWB course is 70%.

Answer: You have unlimited attempts to successfully complete the course. However, we recommend meeting with your manager if you are having difficulties.

Answer: The Richness of Our Differences course was significantly redesigned and The Richness of Diversity and Inclusion is its replacement. All ESDC employees must complete The Richness of Diversity and Inclusion course as part of their ETC requirements for 2021–22.

Answer: ESDC employees have one year from the moment they are assigned the curriculum to complete all courses. We strongly recommend that all courses for this learning cycle be completed by March 31, 2022; however, any courses you have not completed will be carried over to your next learning cycle.

Answer: Even though the ETC for Employees is automatically assigned to your Saba profile, you must follow the two-step registration process as described in question 5 to complete your registration.

The reason for this is so that learners have the option to register for each ETC course in the language of their choice, instead of automatically being registered in a course in the same language as their Saba default language. For example, perhaps sometimes you like to take courses in Saba in your first language of French, while other times you prefer to take courses in English to practice in your second official language.

Answer: In order to ensure that your Indigenous Awareness learning is properly recorded in Saba, you must complete the following steps outlined in the Getting credit for your learning section of the Indigenous Awareness learning page.

Answer: Visit the Indigenous Awareness page to learn about your options.

Answer: Contact the National Service Desk if you have completed any of the following:

1. Canada Labour Code, Part II: An Overview (Z065) while employed at another department; and/or
2. Any other OHS course that you believe meets the criteria of any of the OHS courses in your curriculum.

In your ticket, please include the following information:

• The name of the course;
• The date the course was completed; and
• Your proof/certificate of completion (located in your GCcampus profile for CSPS learning).

Note: Each department is responsible for its own mandatory training. While you may have been granted an exemption from another department, it may not be valid at ESDC.