IT Leadership Continuum
Introduction
The government of Canada has recognized that learning is a key enabler to renewing the public service, strengthening integrity and accountability, implementing modern management practices and supporting innovation. 
The Information Technology Community, with the support of the Organizational Readiness Office, is playing a critical role in identifying needs for leadership and technical skills development, and working collaboratively with departments and agencies to ensure those needs are met.  The community has developed a competency-based Human Resource Framework to ensure that its initiatives are strategically aligned with both the interests of community members and the needs of government organizations. 
The initial programs in the IT Leadership Continuum (ITLC) address priorities identified by the community and government organizations.  They reflect an integrated, coherent and career-long approach to learning and personal development for IT professionals in the public service. The IT Management Development Program (IT MDP) and the IT Executive Development Program (IT EDP) have been updated and revised to meet needs of public servants providing leadership at the CS-04 to EX-03 levels.  Pre-Qualified Pools (PQPs) for CS-05 and EX-02/03 introduce selection processes that also encourage a life-long or continuous-learning approach to preparations for career advancement. 
Underlying the ITLC are assessment mechanisms that link individual interests, corporate HR requirements, and available development/learning opportunities.  These mechanisms include constructive feedback to assist IT professionals in recognizing personal development needs or goals, identifying learning or training opportunities, and anticipating career advancement opportunities within their organization or across government. 
Three key elements of Support, Challenge and Assessment are the foundation of the ITLC concept.  Assessment mechanisms allow employees and their department or agency to identify and relate their demonstrated competencies to those necessary to provide leadership to government’s IT strategies in support of service delivery improvement and management of government information.  Challenge mechanisms push individuals to progressively move through increasingly responsible and varied assignments that provide opportunities to test and stretch leadership competencies.   Support mechanisms include the various learning, training and personal development opportunities provided by government, such as the IT MDP and IT EDP, group events, e-learning, academic courses, coaching, action learning, etc.
The ITLC provides an integrated, consistent approach to assessment and self-assessment so that individual IT professionals can accept shared responsibility for continually identifying and taking advantage of learning and leadership development opportunities.   It provides support and encouragement for initiatives such as the Policy on Continuous Learning in the Public Service and supports development and implementation of personal learning plans for IT professionals throughout their careers.  
Leadership at all levels within the IT Community is critical to the success of Government On-Line and other service transformation agendas.  The mechanisms such as PQPs, the IT MDP and the IT EDP which are being adopted as part of the IT Leadership Continuum are helping community members develop and demonstrate their leadership potential throughout their public service careers.