New Professional Development and Training Classes

Carol Fisher, a staff assistant in the Division of Vascular Surgery, is always looking for ways to broaden her professional skills.

In April, she took “Dimensions of Management for Successful Leaders” through Duke’s Learning & Organization Development (L&OD). The two-day class offered insights into the best practices to enable improved performance of employees and teams. The interactive structure allowed Fisher to work on team building and helped her form mentor relationships with others in managerial positions, she said.

“Every Duke employee should understand that Duke is supportive of professional development,” Fisher said. “Ambitious employees, no matter their previous education or current position, are provided the opportunity to improve and move forward.”

L&OD, which provides a variety of courses that focus on work, technology skills and leadership development, has released the July-December course catalog. It lists 18 courses, including five new classes such as Managing Meetings Effectively and Managing from the Middle.

Registration for all courses is now open. Keisha Williams, director of L&OD, said additions to the course catalog are based on the annual needs assessment provided to employees to assess current professional development needs.

“Our classes are packed,” Williams said. “Within this last year, it seems that people are seeing more of what they need in workshops, and supervisors continue to embrace sending their people.”

Here are the new classes this semester:

Managing from the Middle, Nov. 5. Learn how to effectively communicate with those in higher-level positions. $130

Managing Meetings Effectively, Nov. 19.  Increase the productivity of meetings through decision-making strategies and engagement tactics. $65

Train the Trainer 1: The Basics of Training, Sept. 3. Aimed at experts who provide training to employees as part or all of their jobs. $65

Train the Trainer 2: Designing Training, Dec. 5. Build on the Train-the-Trainer curriculum with additional guidance about making decisions and developing training activities. $130

Building Trust in the Workplace, Dec. 11. Intended to teach managers how to establish a trusting work environment. $65