Carleton offers innovative career development options

When Gilles Monast started working at Carleton University in Ottawa, his first job was in the mailroom. Now, 35 years and a number of different positions later, he’s the university’s director of library administration.

He credits his career development to hard work, dedication, and having supportive managers who took notice of those qualities. It was also a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

“What Carleton has given me is the chance to grow as an employee and as an individual. There is a lot of support, there are a lot of opportunities. Even today, a lot of opportunities for staff for advancement, to join committees, to do professional development,” explains Monast, who continues to collaborate with colleagues in other departments by sitting on interview committees, for example.

Staff and faculty can participate in university committees, fine-tune skills through learning and development workshops, and engage in management training – all of which assist in career growth. Full-time employees can also access a free tuition benefit if they wish to enrol in courses. Those interested in volunteering have a number of choices, too, including Carleton’s annual United Way campaign or in the university’s nationally-certified ‘Healthy Workplace’ initiative.

Like Monast, interim president and vice-chancellor Jerry Tomberlin has held a number of positions during his 15 years at Carleton. He first moved to the nation’s capital to take on the role of dean of the Sprott School of Business. He then became provost & vice-president (academic), and, most recently, assumed the role of interim president in September.

“When you have people reporting to you, it’s all about supporting them, helping them succeed. To me, that’s always been the way I work, and I find that really kind of fits into the ethos and the culture here,” he says.

There are a number of initiatives in place at the university which help employees nurture their careers, he says. One of those programs is Carleton Leader.

Inspired by collaborative leadership principles, this initiative builds capacity by bringing together leaders from across the institution to embrace their potential to effect positive change. The initiative offers participants first-hand insight into how their staff and faculty colleagues approach leadership at the university, as well as the opportunity to form long-term, supportive networks that may not otherwise happen.

“It’s a learning platform for, ‘How do I work across the boundaries of the university?’” says Tomberlin. “We make sure that we have academics there. We have administrators there. We have employees at all levels there who've shown an interest in career development. And it’s pretty amazing.”

An initiative like Carleton Leader also helps participants get recognized and feel that they have “more of a career” at the university, he says.

“So, when positions are available, or when you’re looking for somebody to take over more responsibilities on the academic or the administrative areas of the university, that’s kind of where you look first,” Tomberlin says.

The initiative has been offered for the past decade, and Monast, who describes himself as a “people person,” was one of its first participants. “I found the Carleton Leader program really eye-opening because people don’t believe they’re leaders, but they actually are in their own way,” he says.

While participants have different ways of approaching problem-solving, “you’re all there for the same purpose: to develop your leadership skills,” Monast notes.

“There is a lot of room for growth, and there is a lot of opportunity,” he says, “and you just need to seize those opportunities.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top 100 Employers winners, published November 17, 2023 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

Carleton University offers growth as well as learning

When she graduated from Carleton University in 2019, Rebecca Drodge didn’t have to look far for a job – it turns out she was already where she wanted to be.

Drodge, who’s now a leadership and professional development officer with the university’s Office of Quality Initiatives, was still a student when she first started working in its Student Experience Office.

“I worked on mentorship and leadership development initiatives – such as peer-to-peer mentorship, ‘Connections’ programs, leadership development conferences – which are my passion,” recalls Drodge, who graduated with a combined honours degree in biology and humanities. “From there, I found my way into a variety of different roles that really allowed me to grow.”

After working in different departments, including the University Secretariat and the deputy provost’s office, Drodge, who grew up in Ottawa, spent two years working in the Centre for Community Engagement.

Community – within the university but also with the city of Ottawa – is a word that comes up often when people talk about why they enjoy working at Carleton. The campus is described as tight-knit, welcoming and supportive – a place where people care about each other.

“Community is at the core of the Carleton culture,” says Drodge, who contributed to the university’s ‘Strategic Plan for Community Engagement’ that was unveiled last year.

And interim president and vice-chancellor Jerry Tomberlin agrees.

Tomberlin says that when he moved to Ottawa to become dean at the Sprott School of Business 15 years ago, he noticed Carleton had a “stronger sense of community.” And it still does.

“Every time we do a strategic planning exercise – when we sit around and do word association – community is always there. It’s always really important,” says Tomberlin.

Carleton, he says, has earned a reputation as a “community-engaged institution.”

“Part of it is that Carleton actually comes from the community, so I think it’s deep in its DNA,” he says.

At every stage of her career at Carleton, Drodge says she has been able to build her skill set, and in her new role she will have the chance to work with faculty and staff to help them pursue their leadership and development goals.

“I benefited from those types of opportunities before I moved into this portfolio, so I’m really happy to actually get to work on them now as a staff member,” she says.

Drodge says that she was always encouraged by supervisors and colleagues to further her development.

“People do a better job in their roles, feel a greater sense of satisfaction, and collaborate better with that training. That’s one of the things that I love about working at Carleton – that the university as a whole really values and empowers its community to take on those opportunities whenever possible,” Drodge says.

She believes that those opportunities have not just helped her further develop her career and skill set, but also herself. It also has given her a sense of belonging and has inspired her.

“I've grown a lot and I know that I have so much more to go,” Drodge says, “and that, to me, is very exciting.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's National Capital Region's Top Employers winners, published February 6, 2024 in the Ottawa Citizen. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.