Overview  

Welcome to the Civil Service Institute (CS Institute). The CS Institute offers professional development opportunities and training on broad topics of merit and benefits administration specifically for human resources (HR) professionals. Development and training opportunities are designed to advance the knowledge and skills needed to support the specific needs of HR professionals in their role at state agencies.

The CS Institute is designed for HR professionals in all stages of their careers. HR Specialist Trainees will have access to programs specifically designed for individuals new to their role, while more seasoned HR professionals will find in-depth, specialty and certification programs designed to provide deeper knowledge in one or more competency areas.

Four program tracks, each with their own set of courses, are available to state and local HR Professionals:

• CS Institute State: serves HR professionals at state agencies
• HR Foundation Series: serves HR Specialists 1 & 2
• Decentralized Classification Series: serves HR professionals at state agencies who seek certification in position classification and compensation
• Local CS Institute: serves HR professionals in local and municipal government agencies

CS Institute - State Training Courses  

The statewide program for HR professionals offers three levels of training: Basics, Essentials, and Specialties.

HR Basics courses cover the fundamentals of merit and benefits administration with additional offerings in attendance and leave, Civil Service law, and other relevant topics. This series is designed to offer foundational knowledge and skills across primary topics.

HR Essentials courses address the topics covered in the Basics series with increased rigor, focusing on the delivery of responsive and consistent HR service that meets the needs of customer agencies and the operational goals of the state.

The HR Specialties Series will address more complex personnel issues and transactions, with the goal of enhancing technical and non-technical HR competencies for career professionals.

HR Foundation Series  

The HR Foundation Series is designed to provide foundational knowledge for Human Resources Specialist Trainees on the following topics: Merit System Basics, Classification and Compensation, Attendance and Leave, Employee Relations, and Benefits. Trainees will be divided into training cohorts, with five sessions for each cohort. Follow-up cohorts will capture new hires on a rolling basis.

Decentralized Classification Series  

The Civil Service Institute offers a series of trainings on decentralized classification leading to the opportunity to pass an assessment and be certified as a classification specialist. Five, one-hour webinars will be followed by a one-day certification training and assessment. The assessment will cover topics taught in the webinars and is restricted to HR staff with regular exposure to position classification and at least six months of experience in an agency human resources office. The webinars are open to all interested HR professionals.

Local CS Institute  

The Local CS Institute consists of intensive classroom instruction and workshops for new or recently hired Personnel Technicians or other staff of local civil service agencies. Training is done in three, week long modules and will include classroom training in Albany. The format provides an opportunity for discussions with guest experts on specific topics related to public personnel, and civil service administration.

How to Enroll  

Training through the CS Institute will be delivered using a combination of live and recorded webinars and in-person classes. Enrollment in current and archived trainings can be accessed through the Statewide Learning Management System (SLMS). If you do not have access to SLMS, please email CSInstitute@cs.ny.gov.

The CS Institute also provides other learning opportunities for all state employees. Information on training courses and other useful resources for state employees can be found by visiting: https://www.cs.ny.gov/employees/state/CSInstitute/.

Contact Us  

For questions regarding the CS Institute or to learn more about our programs, please email CSInstitute@cs.ny.gov

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