Overview of Management Leadership Training
Conducted by the Bureau of Employee Services

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) provides a wide array of leadership development opportunities for various levels of its employees.  The opportunities provide essential leadership skills to employees throughout different phases of their careers.  Workshops are designed to use IDOT-related information and situations in learning new skills.  Participants learn by sharing their knowledge, concerns and experiences with peers, while working in small groups.  Training is a solid investment in the Department's greatest resource--our employees.

Department training currently consists of four management leadership training programs.  Three of the programs are targeted for prescribed levels of employees and enrollment is restricted to those nominated and selected by senior staff.  Participants in the targeted programs attend all modules together. The fourth is open to all IDOT employees with supervisory approval.

• Executive Leadership Development Series (ELDS) is a targeted program where participants attend all modules together.  ELDS is designed for Civil Engineer (CE) and Technical Manager (TM) levels V through VII and other comparable positions.  It consists of eight modules dealing with critical skills essential for an employee to function effectively.  Seminars are held once every three months for two years. 
   

• Accelerated Leadership Proficiency Series (ALPS) is a targeted program where participants attend all modules together.  Designed for various technical, professional and other comparable level employees with a minimum of three years of IDOT tenure, the program consists of l2 modules dealing with critical skills necessary to function effectively as a first-line or responsible staff manager.  Seminars are held every other month for two years.
   

• Professional Advancement of Career Engineers (PACE) is a targeted program where participants attend all modules together.  PACE is for Civil and Electrical Engineers (CE/EE) levels II and III with more than 2, but less than 11 years of IDOT full-time engineering experience.  PACE consists of nine modules dealing with critical skills necessary to function effectively as a public sector engineer.  Seminars are held monthly from September through May; no classes are scheduled from June through August.  Courses are conducted over one year.
   

• Growth and Training of Employees (GATE) is an open enrollment program available to IDOT employees with supervisory approval.  Designed to develop a participant's communication, organization and leadership skills and to improve employee productivity and morale, some seminars deal with personal growth, whereas others develop supervisory skills.   Class size is based upon the seminar topic and usually ranges from 15 to 30 employees.

Management Leadership classes are administered by the Bureau of Employee Services.  The length and content of each seminar varies to meet specific training requirements.  The training schedule attempts to minimize work disruptions or time away from normal responsibilities.  Seminars are facilitated by consultants, training staff or in-house Cadre instructors.  Cadre instructors are IDOT employees that function as certified part-time trainers.  Their experience and knowledge make each seminar economical and work related.  All seminar registrations and recordkeeping are tracked via an internal computerized tracking system.

Training seminars allow employees to discuss common concerns, share ideas and to accomplish work with a renewed spirit based upon improved skills.  It improves the collective work environment, bolsters individual morale and productivity, and meets the long- and short-term training needs for most employees.  Training contributes to the IDOT tradition of functioning as a professional and effective public agency in an ever increasingly complex work environment.  This commitment to employee excellence through leadership development should well serve IDOT far into the 21st century.