Management Intensive
On This Page
Management Intensive helps people leaders build collaborative, high performing teams that meet operational goals and propel the strategic vision. It builds the practical skill set, knowledge, and mindset required to plan, organize and execute work with your team.
ABOUT
Focusing on the people side of the management skill set, Management Intensive supports U of A's people leaders to build unstoppable teams. The program threads the five key manager responsibilities throughout the curriculum, examining these responsibilities in the context of the performance development process and U of A's unionized environment.
Management Intensive takes an experiential approach to learning and equips managers, supervisors, team leads and those people with management responsibilities with practical tools and techniques to manage work and support employee performance.
Management Intensive offers participants the experience of:
- Contextualizing management skills within U of A's unionized environment.
- Core management skills education focused on the role and responsibilities of managers, supervisors, and people leaders.
- Hands on activities where you will apply skills in the workshop setting before taking them back to your day to day work.
- Opportunities to engage with, and learn, from HR Service Partners and other subject matter experts.
- A cohort learning model designed to build relationships with, and learn from, colleagues from across the university.
Management Intensive Program Framework
Management Intensive centers on the people side of the management skill set by focusing on the five key manager responsibilities:
- Hiring and onboarding.
- Setting expectations and aligning goals.
- Supporting and monitoring performance.
- Developing people and managing poor performance.
- Building a high performing and collaborative team.
These responsibilities are the jumping off point for the program and are examined through the performance development process which lays out a process to plan and monitor expectations and deliverables, develop people, and review and celebrate accomplishments.
Review the Management Intensive Program Syllabus
TESTIMONIALS
"The value of the activities, the networking with other campus professionals, the fun. This course serves as a bootcamp to management and leadership practices in general and working at the UofA specifically. Ignore this course at your and your team's peril!" Frederick Mills, Manager, Co-op Student Programming, Faculty of Engineering
"I was less than 6 months into a manager role when I joined the intensive. It was exactly that- an intensive training on all things I needed to know about managing that other people assumed I just knew because I'd gotten the job. I'm so happy that the UofA provides this development so we have good leaders and managers on our teams." Alison Exner, Acting Manager, Residence Life and Education, Facilities and Operations
Facilitators
Wendy Wilton, M.Ed (DE), ACC (Lead Facilitator)
For over two decades, Wendy Wilton has brought her energy, enthusiasm and expertise to training development and facilitation, engaging with learners from across North America. Moving from the private sector into consulting, she has worked with clients from diverse fields including nursing, banking, engineering, health care, the energy sector and various levels of government. In addition to a Masters in Education and a Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching from Royal Roads University, Wendy holds numerous certifications in tools and assessments such as DiSC, Meyers Briggs, Strength Deployment Inventory, EQi 2.0 and Organizational Relationship Systems Coaching.
Tyree McCrackin, MA, BEd (Co-facilitator)
Tyree McCrackin is a consultant with the Organizational Development team at the University of Alberta. Prior to this role he was a coach and career professional working with students, postdoctoral scholars, and alumni at the University of Alberta's Career Centre, where he was the Team Lead for the Transition to Careers program. Before coming to the University of Alberta, Tyree worked in human resources in various oil and gas-related industries. He has worked as a career advisor, helping clients with work search documents, interview preparation and career management strategies. Tyree has a BA and BEd from the University of Calgary and an MA from the University of Alberta.
Eligibility
Management Intensive is designed for any University of Alberta employee (regardless of the employee category) who supervises a team.
Schedule
Winter (2026) Cohort- Thursday, February 12, 2026 (9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)
- Thursday, February 19, 2026 (9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)
- Thursday, February 26, 2026 (9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)
- Thursday, March 5, 2026 (9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)
For successful completion, participants are expected to:
- Attend all four days of training (partial participation will not be considered for program completion).
- Complete pre-work prior to the first day of training (approximately 2 hours).
- Complete intersession homework (approximately 2 hours per week).
Location
The program will be held at Enterprise Square.
Cost
Participation in Management Intensive is free for supervisors.
Availability
There are 25 spaces available.
Selection
To be selected, applicants must:
- Supervise a team.
- Commit to attend all the training days.
- Commit to completing the intersession homework, including module pre-work and application activities (approximately 2 hours/week).
- Have the support of their supervisor.
We will also consider whether the applicant’s responses indicate:
- Thoughtfulness about management skills and themselves as a supervisor.
- A keen motivation to learn and grow.
- A demonstrated ability to translate intensive learning into everyday contexts.
- Alignment with the program objectives.
Preference will be given to participants who have limited management training and experience and who are early in their supervisory career.
In our selection, we also strive for diverse faculty/department representation.
If we reach capacity, we will waitlist qualified candidates and offer them priority registration in a future offering.
Apply
- Fill out the application form.
- Forward the supervisor endorsement form to your supervisor for completion.
Both parts of the application are due by 4 p.m. on Thursday, January 15, 2026. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
