YOUR CAREER DEVELOPMENT STARTS HERE

Development Pathways

Learning designed specifically for County careers.

The size and operational diversity of LA County affords our employees the opportunity to make flexible career choices under the umbrella of one employer organization. Whether choosing to climb a single, defined job ladder or explore entirely different jobs at the same level, County employees typically build deep and often intricate career portfolios.

Tying these diverse pathways together is a development framework structured to identify specific competencies for each job and/or job category. These competencies serve as a roadmap to help employees develop themselves for excellence in their current roles and ready themselves for the next job they seek.

• Accountability
• Conflict Management
• Continual Learning
• Creativity/Innovation
• Cultural Awareness
• Customer Service
• Data Fluency
• Decisiveness
• Entrepreneurship
• External Awareness
• Financial Management
• Flexibility
• Human Resources Management
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Managing Change
• Oral Communication
• Partnering
• Political Savvy
• Problem Solving
• Project Management
• Resilience
• Service Motivation
• Strategic Thinking
• Team Building
• Technical Credibility
• Technology Management
• Vision
• Written Communication

Competency Defined

So what is a competency?

A cluster of related knowledge, skills, and abilities. Possessing them at the appropriate development level for a particular job enables an employee to act effectively in a variety of situations on that job.

Ongoing Career Development

We develop employees for careers.

The strength of our development programs is one contributing factor to LA County’s industry-leading high retention rates, number of promotions, and average employee tenure. These development programs and efforts have, in many cases, enabled employees to progress from entry-level to executive-level positions.

Job Category and Percent of Workforce as of October 7, 2015

All-Inclusive Development Offerings

LA County's learning and development programs encompass a variety of offerings.

ORIENTATION AND REQUIRED TRAINING

Examples: New Employee Orientation, Supervisor Orientation, Sexual Harassment Prevention

PROFESSIONAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Examples: Achieving Service Excellence, Customer Service, Time Management

PROFESSIONAL SELF-DEVELOPMENT

Examples: Career Planning, Interviewing, Resume

PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Example: Process Improvement 101, Project Management

Succession Planning Program

Developing all leaders and future leaders.

Our succession planning program for senior managers and executives is intricately tied to development. The program emphasizes providing opportunity for development to the top 1,100 management-level employees who seek advancement. The program emphasizes experience-based learning through a wide-array of challenging work and stretch assignments.

Executive Leadership Development Program

The Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP) is designed to enhance the leadership competence of mid-to-senior level managers who aspire to executive leadership positions. The County is pleased to partner with USC, Sol Price School of Public policy to provide this innovative program. The highly-accomplished faculty bring a wealth of practical and executive development experience to County managers.

The ELDP is a 13-week program comprised of 12 in-class sessions, web-based activities and assignments, and individualized coaching sessions. The ELDP is designed to build 10 competencies through assessments, lectures, class assignments, and a team-based project (action learning). It includes completion of a 360-degree assessment of County leadership competencies, creation of an individual development plan, and participation in a group project that addresses actual County needs. After graduation, participants continue the learning engagement and connection through membership in an alumni community of collaborative learners including hosted learning events with guest speakers.

LA County University (LACU)

We are actively building our LACU framework that will house new and revamped learning programs. It will not only modernize how training is delivered to employees, but also broaden the resources available to help employees achieve their career goals and increase work performance. An online portal will serve as the hub of LACU, presenting employees with a variety of learning resources.

Development Partners

We have established partnerships with local colleges and universities to provide employees the opportunity to learn from industry leaders, while potentially earning continuing education credit.

Overarching Learning Philosophy and Approach

Our learning and development commitments to employees.

Our mission is to enable and inspire all County employees to

Learn, grow, and achieve their career goals

Champion a learning culture that advances the County’s mission

Exemplify an excellent workforce that provides exceptional public services