The goal of the Public Service Institute (PSI) Leadership Excellence and Development program is to provide professional development and comprehensive training for the ongoing success of local government agencies and their employees. PSI has developed Programming focused on key topics and best practices in public service leadership. Enroll in these series and leave invigorated as leaders in your municipalities and counties. Network with others in your field to bring back leadership lessons that you can use day one!
Fall 2024 Programming
Check out our Fall PSI programs! This Leadership Excellence and Development series includes new series Creating a High Performing Team, Engaging Employees I and II, Leading Teams I and II, all with a new two-day schedule and PSI Project Management.
In today’s dynamic public sector business landscape, the ability to build and lea high-performing teams is paramount to organizational success. The workshop delves into the principles, strategies, and practical techniques required to cultivate a team that thrives, achieves outstanding results and adapts to challenges effectively. This two-day workshop focuses on three challenging areas: ongoing effective communication, performance management, and succession planning.
Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 29 and 30
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
BSPSI-0880-100, $325
ICCB Noncredit Workforce Training Grant Available
The Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) has allocated funds through the Noncredit Workforce Training Grant. It offers support towards a portion of class costs for eligible selected students. This funding will be applied directly to the student’s account. The purpose of this initiative is to increase responsiveness to employer needs and workforce shortages through building capacity and strengthening the impact of noncredit workforce training at community colleges.
Public focus on government effectiveness has placed public sector leaders under enormous pressure to maintain and improve performance while doing more with less. Discover tools and resources to improve workforce commitment and understand your working style and that of your peers. Learn skills to become a better communicator and to effectively manage your time and priorities. Share best practices, improve performance, and network with others in your field.
New Format - 2 Full Days
Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 25 and 26
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
BSPSI-0700-200, $495
Employee Engagement
The beginning of any journey involves understanding where you are starting. The same
is true of understanding your own strengths and weaknesses for the purpose of personal
development in the workplace. Participants will be taken on a journey of self-discovery
to identify core values and, most importantly, prevailing attitudes toward the work
they do.
Behavioral Styles
We each bring a unique behavior style into the workplace that directly relates to
our performance. Participants review a model of four primary behavioral styles to
better understand their personal style as well as the styles of co-workers. Attendees
will create a personal action based on their strengths and internal goals, as well
as use SMART criteria to drive positive results. (This session includes a DISC assessment.)
Managing Priorities and Time
Every day, employees are faced with reports, meetings, multiple requests and things
that need to be done on short notice. Participants will examine multiple approaches
to time management and learn techniques to effectively manage priorities. They will
find answers to the question: How am I supposed to get all of this done? To decide
what work is most important, employees need to understand the specific desired outcomes
and know how to break those into daily responsibilities
Effective Communication Skills
Effective communicators can clearly share ideas and goals, which leads to enhanced
performance in the workplace. Participants will learn strategies to enhance verbal,
non-verbal, written and listening skills. This session seeks to improve both personal
and organizational communication utilizing DISC assessment styles.
Targeted for those newly developing supervisors, team leads, managers or those that aspire to lead others in the future. Employees often get promoted into a managerial role but rarely receive the appropriate training. When you align people and create an organization, where everyone works together in partnership for a common goal or direction, that organization becomes successful. Inspire others to make a real difference at your workplace and to work toward a shared vision of positive change.
New Format - 2 Full Days
Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 9 and 10
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
BSPSI-0800-200, $495
Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership creates important, positive change. It is grounded in
the belief that inspiring others to focus on the greater good produces a level of
excellence that exceeds results achieved by other forms of leadership. This program
will walk you through the four components to transformational leadership -- calling,
charisma, challenge, and caring -- allowing you to develop the skills and techniques
required to make a real difference at your workplace and to inspire others to work
toward a shared vision of positive change.
Coaching and Developing Others
Coaching and developing employees are key to being an effective supervisor, manager
and leader. This interactive seminar will provide an overview of the importance of
coaching and developing employees and will provide participants with a toolkit for
effective coaching. The seminar will include role playing difficult conversations,
when and how to coach employees and approaches to professional development.
Ethics and Accountability
Ethics is about people; about how we treat others and ourselves. Government and public
service ethics adds an additional layer of accountability and responsibility to act
in the best interest of the public. This workshop provides a content-rich framework
for seeing, reflecting and growing ethical competence. The presentation and discussion
will focus on three key subjects: the definition of ethics, the process of "breaking
bad" and ethical competence.
Influencing Others
Whether or not you are in charge, this workshop will provide you with key skills for
getting things done. Understanding the difference between influence and manipulation,
including how the distinction makes all the difference. Discussions regarding influencing
strategies from some of today's leading thought leaders, including references that
you can follow-up with for further learning will be explored. Improve your ability
to manage “up”, get agreement from peers, and motivate those around you, enabling
you to work more effectively on projects as well as cross-functional teams.
Thursday, Oct. 17
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
BSPSI-0850-001, $225
Join us for this one-day, interactive session to increase your ability to lead and deliver projects. Learn key principles that will help you deliver your projects, including leading factors for project success and failure. Learn how to develop plans to help you and your team stay on track as well as how to respond when (not if) changes occur. Gain a better understanding of what agile project management is (and isn't) and why it's relevant to more than just systems projects. Walk away with practical techniques to identify and manage risks so you can spend less time reacting to problems and more time avoiding them in the first place.
Beginning Drinking Water Class C and D
This live virtual class prepares individuals for certification testing as a Class C and D Public Water Supply Operator. This class can also be taken to obtain continuing education credits for Class A and B certificate holders. Following class, students are responsible for scheduling their own exam for the Drinking Water Operator Certificate through the Illinois EPA. Topics include:
- Well and distribution system operation and maintenance
- Basic water flow hydraulics
- Chemical dosage mathematics
- Environmental Protection Agency laws
- Chlorination and fluoridation
Monday, Sept. 9 to Dec. 2 (no class Oct. 14 and Nov. 11)
6 to 9 p.m.
BSPSI-0400-120, $575
*Course fee includes the book and shipping
Advanced Drinking Water Class A and B
This live virtual course covers a majority of the significant procedures and concepts related to the operation and maintenance of Illinois Class A and Class B public water supply operations, and will prepare students for the Class A and Class B water operators’ IL EPA exam and certification. Students must meet specific experience, education, and examination requirements in order to qualify for certification. Following class, students are responsible for scheduling their own exam for the Advanced Drinking Water Operators Certificate through the Illinois EPA. Topics include:
- Disinfection
- Fluoridation
- Distribution
- Clarification
- Lime-Soda Softening
- Ion Exchange Softening
- Filtration
- Iron and manganese control
Tuesday, Sept. 10 to Dec. 3
6 to 9 p.m.
BSPSI-0400-130, $590
*Fee includes the books and shipping
Beginning Wastewater Class 3 and 4
This live virtual course will help prepare you for the Class 3 and Class 4 wastewater operators’ state exam and IL EPA certification. Applicants must meet specific experience, education, and examination requirements in order to qualify for certification. You will earn three months of on-the-job credit by completing this class and gain confidence in your abilities as you take this first step in moving up in this vital field. Following class, students are responsible for scheduling their own exam for the Wastewater Operation Certificate through the Illinois EPA. Topics include:
- Introduction to wastewater
- Collection systems
- Lift stations
- Flow measurement
- Stabilization ponds
- Sampling & laws governing treatment plants
- Chlorination
Tuesday, Sept. 10 to Nov. 19
6 to 9 p.m.
BSPSI-0400-110, $595
*Fee includes the book and shipping
Advanced Wastewater Class 1 and 2
This live virtual course will help prepare you for the Class 1 and Class 2 Wastewater Operator state exam. Eligibility requirements can be found on this website:
www.epa.state.il.us/water/operator-cert/waste-water. Following class, students are responsible for scheduling their own exam for the Waste Water Operator Certificate through the Illinois EPA. Topics include:
- Activated Sludge
- Chemical Addition
- Digesters
- Primary Treatment
- Pumps and Pumping
- Tertiary Treatment
Thursday, Sept. 12 to Nov. 21
6 to 9 p.m.
BSPSI-0400-140, $595 ($495 if you have taken Beginning Wastewater in the last 12 months
and have the textbook).
*Fee includes the book and shipping
Registration Information
PSI Makes a Difference
"This program is very relevant to my job, especially meetings, ethics and influencing others. I would recommend this course to others" - Daniel Nowak, DuPage County
"The most valuable part was learning different perspectives and methods when conducting yourself with employees. I thought it was very engaging and informative." Jovana Dacic, Village of Bensenville
"The subject matter is very applicable to one's professional and personal life, and
it is critical to improve communication skills. I felt that the Effective Communications
topics was the most applicable and helpful to my professional life. " - Sam Cox, Village
of Lombard
Registration Options
To register by phone, call (630) 942-2208. If your organization would like to be invoiced, complete the third party billing agreement.
Contact Information
Career and Professional TrainingCollege of DuPage Continuing Education
Student Resource Center (SRC), Room 1110
(630) 942-2770
Email: bsolutions@cod.edu
Fax: (630) 942-3785