15-Year Custom Training Partnership Continues to Add Value
Inside the Collaboration That's Shaping the City of Regina's Leaders
As organizations navigate increasingly complex projects, the demand for skilled leaders and project managers continues to rise. Like many large employers, the City of Regina—home to more than 2,800 staff— recognized the need to strengthen its leadership capacity to continue to successfully manage teams and projects.
Morgan Piette-Kuntz, HR Manager, Organizational Well-being at the City of Regina, was tasked with creating an educational path for employees that would strongly align with the City’s strategic priorities. “We wanted to develop a custom program focused on leadership that employees could complete in bite-sized pieces,” says Piette-Kuntz.
Her first call was to Heather Renshaw, Business Development Consultant, Professional Development at CCE, a long-standing partner to the City.
“We’ve been delivering custom training to the City for more than 15 years,” says Renshaw. “We collaborate to deliver customized training that aligns with the City’s objectives so it’s highly relevant to their workforce. This has been an incredibly rewarding partnership, one that continues to grow and evolve.”
After an initial consultation, Renshaw proposed offering a customized version of CCE’s High Impact Leadership Microcertificate, a 42-hour program that aligned well with the City’s needs. “The courses that make up the program are Assertive Leadership, Manage Power Dynamics and Navigate Difficult Conversations, which were areas of interest to the City.”
At the same time, Piette-Kuntz asked senior managers to approach mid-level managers to determine their interest in participating. Interest was immediate and as continued to grow.
“Since we ran that first cohort in May, we had many staff register for the second cohort this past fall.”
The benefits to the City of Regina are many, says Piette-Kuntz. “Each course takes a deep dive into topics that our staff face regularly so the content is immediately applicable when they get back to their jobs. We also see this type of professional development as a great way to engage and retain our people.”
Empowering Students to Gain Valuable Skills
Microcertificates, whether offered as a custom program or through CCE’s open enrolment, continue to be a growing trend, notes Renshaw. “ Microcertificates empower learners to quickly gain in-demand skills while earning recognized digital credentials that showcase their achievements. These credentials can easily be added to resumes and professional profiles, such as LinkedIn, helping individuals stand out in today’s competitive job market.”
With the Leadership program underway, the City turned its attention to the creation of a new project management microcertificate which launched in spring 2025 and exclusively available for organizations through custom training. “There was an overwhelming response,” says Piette-Kuntz, “so we expanded the number of seats available and added a second cohort.”
Collaboration is Key
Renshaw says that she loves the collaborative nature of CCE’s relationship with the City of Regina. “It’s exciting to collaborate and innovate, by identifying what the City needs and values, and then bringing those insights together with impactful solutions. The responses we’re receiving from City employees reinforces that we’re hitting the mark.”
Contact us about your organization and how Custom Training can work for you.
Piette-Kuntz agrees. “CCE shares our commitment to building a strong work-ready workforce and this partnership has helped us to create a sustainable model for municipal learning. As times have changed the courses do too, but our focus is always on matching real life needs to expertise and in making the most of the City’s investment in lifelong learning.”