Skills For Impact

The Skills For Impact (SFI) program provides a learning environment in which MPA students can enhance the essential skills they will need for their future careers.

The SFI program is a mandatory, applied element of the MPA program. It aims to equip students with core vocational competencies that are of high value in the workplace, including team building, leadership, emotional intelligence, planning, risk management and critical reflection. The SFI modules complement academic learning on the MPA, and provide an important opportunity for practice oriented learning and broad skills development.

Curriculum

Modules are delivered in the Spring term of the first and second year in a professional education format of either 1.5 (1 credit) or 3 days (2 credits) of intense engagement, a style that introduces students to executive training approaches and different pedagogic styles. These modules variously develop the ability of students to navigate, shape, and negotiate complex environments, manage and reduce conflicts, and to communicate and advocate effectively. Faculty delivering SFI modules come from a diversity of practice and professional backgrounds including film-making, media training, budgeting, capacity building, management, law and psychology.

For the class of MPA students 2023-2025 there is a choice of options from a range of SFI modules for a maximum of 10 credits over the two years of the MPA program Each year the below 10 credits (5 SFI courses) will be standardly provided . These courses are :

Additional 1 and 2 credit SFI courses will be provided on a rotational basis (2024-2025 Year A) (list subject to change):

All 10 credits of the Skills For Impact modules are earned on a Pass/Fail basis, with assessment criteria set out for each of the individual SFI modules.