The Excellence in Public Sector Leadership (EPSL) program is a training program designed to strengthen new and emerging public sector leaders’ visioning and leadership skills. It is built around four core themes—Leading Self as a Public Servant, Leading Others as a Public Servant, Public Service Excellence, and Achieving Results in Public Service. The themes are viewed through various lenses and perspectives—including political, public, community, academic, and team. These lenses help to ensure a balanced understanding of the opportunities and challenges public sector leaders face.

The program is developed and delivered by experienced former senior public servants who can share their insights and real-life experiences and approach leadership from a practical perspective.

Quick Facts

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Program Themes

Each of the program's four themes—Self, Others, Excellence, and Results—includes three core learning modules and a deeper dive.

The program includes engaging self-paced online learning modules, along with weekly live online workshops. Due to the rolling intake registration format, you can begin with any of the four program themes.

Prior to completing the four themes, you must complete the EPSL Required Introductory Module. This module provides: 

• a leadership self-assessment that is aligned with the program themes and modules is referenced throughout the program
• foundational learning content on self-awareness, managing self, and developing self that will set expectations and help you get the most from the program
• instructions on the capstone process that you will follow throughout the program

At the end of the program, you will submit a final capstone report to receive certification. You must receive at least 70% on your final capstone report to receive certification and the Public Sector Leader (PSL) designation.

Throughout your program, you will benefit from:

• Input from experts – The program combines the expertise of JSGS Executives-in-Residence with input from external experts both as interviewees and as facilitators of live workshops.
• Self-paced online learning modules – The online learning modules provide access to engaging self-paced content that include short facilitator lectures and videos, interviews with experts, interactive exercises, and readings. The content is designed to help you draw connections between course content and your current work.
• Live online workshops – During the live workshops, you will have an opportunity to discuss and apply the concepts, readings and activities from the online learning modules while implementing your new knowledge in exercises and scenarios.
• Ongoing networking – Through both the online learning modules and live workshops, you'll have the opportunity to continue collaborating and connecting with your peers.

By the end of the EPSL program, you will be well-equipped to:

• analyze the impacts of leadership, policy, strategy, change, engagement, and teamwork on public policy challenges that allow you to identify risk, motivate teams, innovate, implement change, and evaluate success
• draw an association between public sector challenges and leadership opportunities, behaviours, and competencies to enable improvement and successful policy implementation
• anticipate and proactively address evolving organizational, political, and environmental changes
• share insights and best practices with an expanded network of public service leaders 

The EPSL was created for new and emerging public sector leaders and is designed to be flexible to fit into your busy schedule. To get the most out of this program, you are encouraged to take an active role in your learning journey—bringing curiosity, commitment, and a willingness to reflect deeply on how the concepts apply to your own leadership practice. Success in this program relies on a self-directed mindset and a willingness to engage with the content—not only during live workshops through active discussion with other learners, but also by reflecting on how the ideas apply to your own leadership practice.

The time commitment for the EPSL is approximately 3 hours per week for regular weekly modules and 5 hours for the monthly deeper dives (you only need to attend 2 out of 4 deeper dives). These times may vary, however, as everyone learns at a different pace. Your final capstone report will assess how successfully you have incorporated the program’s learning into your own professional life.

To earn your certification and the Public Sector Leader (PSL) designation, you must complete the following:

• EPSL Required Introductory Module (*completed 2 weeks prior to your first theme)
• Theme: Leading Self as a Public Servant (Self)
• Theme: Leading Others as a Public Servant (Others)
• Theme: Public Sector Excellence (Excellence)
• Theme: Achieving Results in Public Service (Results)
• Final Capstone Report (*completed within a month of your last theme)

Live workshops take place every Tuesday from 1:15 to 2:15 pm (CST) for regular modules, or 1:15 to 3:45 pm (CST) for deeper dive workshops. Online learning modules are completed the week prior to the live workshop and are estimated to take 2 hours to complete (though individual times may vary).

When deciding on your program start date, please ensure you account for the EPSL Required Introductory Module, which must be completed 2 weeks prior to the first theme, and the final capstone report, which is completed in the month following your last theme.

Registration is now open with the following start dates:

Rolling intake registration is now open! We accept new participants each month (exceptions: December, July, and August), though there are a limited number of seats available. If seats are full for a given month, you can register for the next available start date.

Registration is accepted using the University of Regina’s online registration system, which requires you to set up a profile and pay by credit card when you register.

Once you are registered, you will receive access to the online learning management system (Canvas) two weeks prior to your first theme.

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The EPSL program is facilitated by JSGS Executives-in-Residence and guest facilitators who are accomplished former and current senior public servants with extensive expertise. It’s more than just theory —our facilitators bring practical and relatable real-life examples. For more information on their professional experience and biographies, visit the JSGS Executive-in-Residence webpage.

For general information and registration questions about the Excellence in Public Sector Leadership (EPSL) program, please contact:

• Mariah Yee, Program Coordinator

For content-related questions about the Excellence in Public Sector Leadership (EPSL) program, please contact:

• Sharri Dewey, Instructional Designer