Union training is all virtual
The PSAC continues to postpone all of its face-to-face activities for the time being. Union education in the region therefore continues entirely online. To see which courses are currently available, click on the "Course listings" button above.
We'll have webinars of course, and we'll be adding online courses on our new EdX platform that you can take at your convenience. In addition, we offer virtual training to meet your training needs to keep your locals engaged.
Please note that in order to participate in our webinars, virtual training or online courses, you will need to have access to a computer or tablet connected to the internet. Unfortunately, it is not possible to participant using a landline or smartphone as we will be sharing documents and interactive websites and this is only possible on a computer (the ideal tool) or tablet.
New courses and webinars will be posted on this page as they become available. Please add this page to your bookmarks and visit us regularly.
We continue to expand our range of courses and webinars. Our goal is to reinvent union education and offer new ways to better serve you.
Your Opinion Matters!
Do you have suggestions or thoughts about union education you would like to share?
Please take a few moments to e-mail your ideas to us!
Contact Pierre Lebel, Regional Education Officer: 613-560-4372 or : lebelp @ psac-afpc.com
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Our purpose
The overall purpose of the PSAC Education Program is to build the capacity among members to reflect and act, to shift the balance of power towards justice in the workplace and society.
The Education Committee plays an active role in developing the PSAC-NCR Education Program and the triennial education plan. The Committee discusses union education needs, determines how the regional should best respond to these needs and finds ways of engaging members through union education.
Interested in helping to do this important work? Join us! Send an email to the Education Committee.
Our courses
Union education in the National Capital Region is spread on three semesters: winter (January to April), spring (May and June) and fall (September to December).
Our core program includes: Talking Union Basics (TUB), Grievance Handling, Local Officers, Health and Safety, and Human Rights related education.
For further informaton, see menu items above or on the right-hand column.
How to register?
To register, click on this link (or click the "course listing" button above) and select the course you want to attend. For each course, you will find a link to register online.
Should you have difficulties registering online, contact the PSAC Regional Office in Ottawa or Gatineau.
Why union education?
- To engage with other members. Whether you want to become an activist or you want to find out more about your union, you will find a place where you can engage with others who have similar values, form networks and be inspired to participate in collective action .
- To equip yourself to represent others. You have a right to practical tools. Members need the knowledge, skills and attitudes that can make them effective and strategic in their interventions in the workplace, the labour movement and the broader society. Members (active or not) also need to be equipped with the basics about how their union operates, so they can participate easily and effectively.
- To expand your union experience. Your union is a window into the world of social justice. A necessary part of education is to move all members beyond their comfort zones, current range of interests and networks. The willingness to be “stretched” is a key to real transformation.
- To energize yourself or help energize others. Members can get discouraged. Given the state of the world, the slowness of change both inside and outside the union, and the weight of arbitrary employer actions, the education program should be a place of renewal and encouragement.
If you want to know more about our program, read the 2019-2021 NCR Education Plan.