Accelerated Executive Development Program

At a glance...

What is the Scope of the Program?

A participant’s journey with AEXDP will last from two to six years, depending on his or her classification upon joining the program. Participants will develop personal skills and acquire knowledge that will help them in their various roles as mentor, leader and coach.

How Candidates Are Selected

Candidate selection is a rigorous process. The objective of this evaluation is to gather information from which a clear judgement can be made concerning the candidate’s potential to reach the higher levels of the federal hierarchy including the level of Assistant Deputy Minister. The evaluation also assesses the participant’s ability to take advantage of the possibilities for development that AEXDP offers.

The participants of AEXDP will:

• Participate in collective learning events that will promote the development of a spirit of cooperation, fostering the formation of a community which represents the distinctness of AEXDP. These events also allows participants to gain the knowledge necessary to become leaders in the Public Service
  
• Develop a personalized learning program that will identify individual development needs and determine how to meet those needs
  
  
• Join an Action Learning Group in order to be able to reflect upon and learn from their actions
  
  
• Consider working with a professional coach who will challenge their current ways of interpreting and observing context so that they can develop new behaviour patterns for strengthening their commitments
  
  
• Consider working with a mentor so that they can take advantage of the support of an executive who knows the tricks of the trade and is familiar with Public Service practices
  
  
• Grow and identify needs during assignments. The assignments serve as a place for experimentation where skills and newly acquired knowledge are put to the test.

Notwithstanding the fact that we want to maintain the AEXDP learning component up to date and relevant, we recognize that the Program is anchored in a rich past. For this reason, we have asked John Hay, a well known journalist, to write an article on AEXDP that he titled: Promoting Public Service Through Executive Development: the Accelerated Executive Development Program. He chose to produce a document that would not only provide an overview of the Program but also capture its pulse and power through the eyes of its graduates.

Where can I find more information?

Contact: Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) at (613) 992-3249