Do you want to learn more about Microsoft Office 365, Outlook, SharePoint or Tableau? Now, U of T is offering in-person and online training to help staff get up to speed with online services that are defining the future of the workplace.

From July to August, HR & Equity’s Organizational Development and Learning Centre (ODLC) will offer weekly full-day training sessions on Office 365, including Skype for Business, Teams and OneDrive. They will also offer monthly SharePoint and Tableau sessions throughout the summer.

“There’s been a high demand for these courses, and now we’re providing consolidated, comprehensive training resources,” says Luke Pereira, learning resources and web coordinator at ODLC. “We have a dedicated Office 365 trainer and we’re also offering online courses, so staff can figure out what training best meets their needs.”

The online courses include curated training videos offered through Lynda.com. All U of T staff and faculty can now log in to Lynda.com for free using their UTORid to advance their professional development.

“In the past, some staff might not have been able to attend in-person training sessions, and there were hundreds of training videos to navigate through,” says Mark Seymour, acting director of ODLC. “We’ve simplified the process with selected videos for Office 365 Basics, Skype, SharePoint and Adobe Creative Cloud.”

The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development is funding the pilot program through eCampusOntario, providing free Lynda.com subscriptions to all Ontario colleges and universities for two years.

“A great place to begin exploring Lynda.com is by accessing the technical skills resources for just-in-time and just-enough learning, which is part of our everyday work,” says Laurie Harrison, director of online learning strategies. “As staff, we’re consistently asked to use new tools and software, and to learn and grow.”

In the future, the ODLC team will implement Success Factors, which is a new staff learning management system. The system will be a one-stop-shop inventory of learning opportunities for U of T staff, and will allow users to create online learning material or links to external online learning sources such as Lynda.com.

“We now have a plethora of communication and collaboration services. The real key now is taking advantage of all of them and using them effectively across the organization,” says Marden Paul, director of planning, governance and assessment with Information Technology Services.

Pereira agrees.

“Staff training will continue to be an evolving process, and we’re eager to see where this will take us. We’ll measure our success with this first iteration of courses, collect feedback and constantly enhance our offerings.”

For more information, visit ODLC.