Training Program for Employment Insurance Board of Referees

4.1

Orientation kit (national responsibility)

New members of Boards of Referees will receive, when their appointment is confirmed, an orientation kit containing the following documents:

• A 20-minute video cassette entitled "The Board of Referees – An Essential Link in the Appeal Process". This video summarizes the appeal system and the role of the Boards of Referees.

• The handbook for employment insurance Boards of Referees.

• Subjects 15 and 16 of the Insurance Services Policy Manual.

• A letter of introduction, giving details of the training program and the name of the resource person in the region.

• A pamphlet on administrative issues relating to the duties of a Board of Referees member.

4.2

Technical training (regional responsibility)

Members of Boards of Referees will be invited to attend a training session as described below, within two months following their appointment. This training shall last four days.

• New Board of Referees members shall visit a Human Resources Centre in order to understand how it operates and to become familiar with the services offered.

• In order to become familiar with his or her new responsibilities, a new member shall observe a Board of Referees session. This will enable the new member to observe the roles and responsibilities of Board of Referees members, through discussion with experienced members.
  
  

• The members will watch the video, "Client Service: At the Core of the Appeals Process", which describes the appeal process and the support that the Board of Referees receives from the Department, such as research tools, the Assistant to the Board of Referees, etc.

• PowerPoint presentations will provide participants with training on the types of issues that are most frequently submitted to Boards of Referees. The presentations will be followed by exercises and discussions.

• Participants will also view a video entitled "Principles of Natural Justice and the Writing of a Decision".
  
  

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• Employment Insurance Act and Regulations.

• Quick reference guide dealing with all types of issues.

• The Garant & Garant publication entitled "Tribunal Proceedings Related to Employment Insurance". This course handbook is used as a basis for the third training component.

4.3

Skills training (shared responsibilities)

In order to meet needs for independent training focussed on the skills required to conduct a hearing efficiently, an external firm had been approached to develop the required materials and to run training sessions. Members will be given an opportunity to take part in this training within the four months following their technical training. The training session will last three days. A few weeks prior to the training session, members will receive the following materials:

• A course activities manual entitled "Hearing skills and Decision writing for new members"

• A video entitled "Principles of natural justice and writing a decision" to be viewed in preparation for the workshop.

• The Appeals Directorate will organize training sessions and will pay the related costs.

• A regional officer shall open the session and introduce the trainers. The officer shall act as coordinator, to provide answers to administrative, procedural or policy questions raised at the session and note, for follow-up purposes, questions that cannot be answered right away. The responsibility of the regional officer is described in detail in Appendix 1 of this document. The regional officer shall also take attendance report and shall send evaluations of participants to the Appeals Directorate.

• The training sessions will be run by external partners and will deal with the following topics:

• Principles of natural justice

• Questioning and listening techniques

• Evaluating and assessing evidence and credibility

• Deliberation and decision-making

• Drafting the decision

• Professional conduct.

4.4

Continuing training or information sessions

At least once a year, members of Boards of Referees will be invited to training or information sessions designed to update their knowledge of legislation and the jurisprudence, or to deal with any other subject that concerns them.

National responsibilities: To coordinate the planning of sessions, in order to maximize the participation of the Commissioners and Appeals Directorate; to provide the regions with an analysis of trends in recent jurisprudence, prepared by a consultant in the private sector, in order to ensure consistency of information communicated to members of Boards of Referees.