Policy 1: Reviewing the Fundamentals

Course Description

• As a public servant, a strong understanding and effective policy analysis is one of your most important skills. In Policy 1, we will help you build the foundations of this core skill to help you shine in a complex and changing policy environment.
• In this half-day webinar, you will have the opportunity to expand your knowledge in addressing complex policy advice as well as practice your skills in a safe environment.
• Tied in with their personal experiences and advice, our experienced facilitators will cover evidence-based analysis, quantitative and qualitative research methods, the policy development cycle, and effective communication skills.
• This webinar is the first in a 3-part suite that can be taken together or as stand-alone offerings. Policy 1: Reviewing the Fundamentals, Policy 2: Policy-making in a Changing Environment, and Policy 3: Behavioural “Nudge” Economics each build upon each other to help you craft the skills needed to succeed. Policy 1 targets policy analysts and program officers in the beginner stages of policy advice. If you are a more experienced policy analyst, we recommend that you start with Policy 2.

Learning Objectives:

• You will learn about the structure of government and the range of challenges facing analysts in the current policy environment. 
• You will understand the importance of evidence-based analysis and how to use quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze complex issues. 
• You will learn about the various stages of the policy development cycle and how these are changing in the current environment. 
• You will explore the importance of effective communication and how to improve your capacity to present well-structured analysis.  
• You will practice the use of political acuity, sound judgment and networking skills to successfully navigate the policy process.