New agreement opens doors to instructor-led training for CAF members
Press Release
CAF members can now register for instructor-led courses through the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) effective immediately and at no cost. This announcement follows the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between CSPS and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) on November 24. While the MOU officially takes effect April 1, 2026, CSPS confirmed that, in the spirit of collaboration, access to instructor-led training begins immediately.
The new MOU provides CAF members with full access to CSPS learning products, including online self-paced courses, instructor-led training sessions, and learning events. These resources are designed to build knowledge, skills, and competencies common to the public service and unique to government, supporting professional development and organizational effectiveness.
Members can register through the CSPS Learning Platform and explore a wide range of topics such as leadership development, project management, digital transformation, and data analytics. Account holders also receive a weekly newsletter highlighting new learning opportunities.
To ensure course completions are accurately reflected in your Military Personnel Resume Record (MPRR), confirm your service number is correctly entered in your CSPS account profile. Incorrect or missing service numbers will prevent training from being credited. In addition, CAF members are also expected to use training resources responsibly to help ensure limited seats in instructor-led courses are used effectively and maintain a strong partnership with CSPS.
A CANFORGEN with additional details is in development. In the meantime, CAF members can create an account and start learning today on the Canada School of Public Service learning platform. For support, contact CAF.CSPS.COORD@forces.gc.ca (replacing caf.registrationrequiredtraining@forces.gc.ca).
Finally. I got kicked off courses as a CAF member.
Proper classrooms and and instructors are still (mostly) the default within schools, but learning modules for the professional world tend to default to the most cost effective solution, and an online module with no instructor is cheaper, and can be reused indefinitely. While there are plenty of professional development that is instructor led, the sad truth is that is is usually reserved for management, because they make the budgets. The fact that any CAF member now qualifies for instructor led training is a pretty big deal for any member who is serious about professional development. I personally think it's a good idea for more of the civil service to see more members of the CAF in a professional capacity, which can go a long way toward dispelling misconceptions and stereotypes that are common among civvies.