by Mandy Cox
Catholic identity is strengthened through everyday work of each organization, from the way a job is posted and new employees are onboarded, to the way policies and benefits are explained. Leaders are better prepared to shape the culture of their organization when they have confidence and clarity to support the mission.
This is why CBA developed Catholic Professional Development.
WHAT IS CATHOLIC PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT?
Catholic Professional Development is a series of self-paced online courses designed to help leaders strengthen Catholic identity throughout their organizations while developing practical skills for the challenges they face in their work.
The courses combine practical resources with mission-aligned formation. Rather than simply telling leaders what an organization should do, the goal is to help them understand how Catholic teaching and identity can be intentionally reflected in the policies and conversations that shape the workplace.
Some courses focus on the practical responsibilities leaders encounter in their HR roles. Others address moral questions that can arise from health plan design.
Together, they provide leaders with resources they can use on their own schedule to build greater confidence in their responsibilities and in representing their organization’s Catholic identity.
Who is it for?
Catholic Professional Development is designed for the people who have responsibility for shaping the employee experience and representing the organization’s mission.
That includes parish and ministry leaders, principals and school leaders, leaders of charities and ministry organizations, HR professionals, managers, and others who regularly engage with employees or participate in benefits and employee-relations discussions.
Not every leader needs to be an HR professional. In fact, one of the reasons formation matters is that Catholic identity is communicated by many different people throughout an organization.
A principal may explain a school policy to a teacher. A parish leader may welcome a new employee. A manager may respond to an employee’s question. An HR professional may develop a job description or handbook. Each of these moments is an opportunity to communicate something about who the organization is and what it believes.
Catholic Professional Development is designed to help those leaders approach those responsibilities with greater confidence and intentionality.
Our pilot participants experienced the value of this practical approach. One participant shared:
“It made me start thinking about how to introduce and reflect the Catholic teachings when onboarding, as well as, on-going training with staff. I look forward to the next lessons to hopefully learn how to incorporate our identity into the HR architecture of our organization.”
That is the heart of Catholic Professional Development.
This is not simply training for a particular HR task or a particular moral question. It is an opportunity to form the people who are responsible for carrying Catholic identity into the everyday life of an organization.
Because formed leaders form culture.
Catholic Professional Development is now available to CBA member organizations. We invite you to consider which leaders within your organization would benefit from this practical, mission-aligned formation.
READY TO SHARE WITH YOUR LEADERS?
Your leaders can sign up here: Member Contact Form | Catholic Benefits Association