Policy for certification and ongoing development of member facilitators

Purpose of the policy

The “CUPE Member Facilitator Program” policy (“MF Policy”) was adopted by the National Executive Board in 2004, and has provided a strong foundation for the recruitment, selection, training and support of member facilitators.

The purpose of this policy is to set out a transparent process for recruitment, certification and development of member facilitators.

These new processes have three goals:

  1. To support member facilitators to become as good as they can be, by providing quality feedback, training and support
  1. To maintain a high level of program integrity
  1. To provide a selection and development process that is fair and transparent
Candidate Selection

Step 1 – Are member facilitator candidates qualified?

Currently, education representatives and servicing staff look for members with this kind of experience to be potential member facilitators:

  • Facilitation or education background or experience
  • Union leadership roles
  • Union activism
  • Union committee experience
  • Public speaking experience

Step 2 – Dimensions (personal qualities)

In addition to union experience, the Union Education Branch selects and develops member facilitators based on the following dimensions:

Commitment to learning

  • From self (through a practice of self-reflection)
  • From the participants in their workshops
  • From co-facilitators and education representatives
  • Being open to hearing and considering feedback
  • Seeing themselves as a learner

Conviction/confidence

  • Dealing with difficult situations, including conflict, in a balanced way
  • Introducing and leading critical analysis
  • Confidence to speak in front of a group Commitment to the member facilitator program
  • Available and reliable
  • Deliver workshop material in a way that is true to the purpose and design of the workshop
  • Committed to prepare prior to workshops
  • Committed to build a strong relationship with education representative(s)

Flexibility and resourcefulness

  • Respect others’ knowledge and experience
  • Able to listen to others (or sincerely interested in what others have to say)
  • Open to different ways of doing things
  • Resourceful and able to adapt if a situation changes

Commitment to union values

  • Understanding that union education is not neutral – it’s biased towards a union and worker-centered analysis
  • Committed to democracy, equality and social justice
  • Ally for equality – committed to the Equality Statement and the Code of Conduct
  • Able to speak up and take the union position on issues
Certification process

The certification process looks like this:

  1. During the facilitator training session, education staff assigned to the training will work with members to identify areas of strength and areas that need further support and development.
  2. Upon completion of the facilitator training session, if the role of facilitator is a good fit for the member, they will be placed on a “Trained members” list.
  3. At this point, education representatives will work with the members to provide practice and mentoring opportunities. This is another opportunity to work on strengths and areas that require improvement.
  4. Once the new member facilitator has shown competency in the role, they will be placed on a Member Facilitator list.
  5. Further training and support can be identified and provided on an ongoing basis.
Ongoing feedback and development

Member facilitators are encouraged to practice self-reflection each time they facilitate, alone and/or with their co-facilitator.  Member facilitators are also encouraged to discuss their reflections with their education representative(s), with a goal to accessing ongoing support and continually developing their facilitation practice.

If concerns are raised about a member facilitator, the education representative will approach the member facilitator to discuss the concerns in a transparent way and work with the member facilitator to find ways to address them.

Removing a member from the member facilitator list

In some cases, a member might come to the conclusion that they cannot fulfill the expectations outlined in the member facilitator policy.  In that case, they can ask to be removed from the member facilitator list.

In other cases, an education representative might remove a member from the member facilitator list.  This can happen if someone moves, retires, or is not available to facilitate.  It can also happen if the member facilitator is not meeting the expectations, has received clear and direct feedback, has been offered support, and has not demonstrated a willingness to improve — or if ongoing communication and support has not resulted in improvement.

In these cases, the education representative would advise the member facilitator in writing (copying the regional director and the branch director) that they are being taken off the list and the reasons why.

If the member facilitator disagrees with the decision, they can appeal in writing to the Director of the Union Education Branch who will make a decision based on this policy.  Appeals must be filed within 30 days of being removed from the list.