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Division of Human Resources

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Professional Development

Skills that Matter, Today and Tomorrow.

Professional growth at USC is built around skills that matter for your career, well-being, and the university’s success. Our offerings are flexible and delivered in multiple formats — in person, virtual, self-paced, or through AI-powered tools. Use this catalog to explore resources, then capture your plan in your Individual Development Plan (IDP + AI).

Your Skills. Your Career. Your Future.
OPD is moving from certificates to skill-building because your growth isn’t one-size-fits-all. Build the skills that matter most for you, chart your own career path, and take your next step with confidence.

 

Delivered Training                                                                                    

Facilitator-led sessions that provide real-time practice, feedback, and dialogue to build complex, interpersonal, and culture-shaping skills that require human connection.

Business Management Certificate Program (through USC Columbia, Purchasing)
Program Curriculum
Methods of Procurement
University Policies and Procedures
Generalized Purchasing Card Information
Small and Historically Disadvantaged Business Initiative
 

Browse the HR training calendar to register for a live webinar. Click the link to the course-specific on-demand learning resources to register for access.



  • Conflict Skills: discover your style, expand your range, strengthen your impact.
  • Tough Conversations: skills for Clarity, Candor, and Connection
  • Emotional Intelligence: awareness, empathy, and impact
  • The Generational Lens: insights into today’s diverse workforce and student body
  • Psychology of Retirement: redefining purpose, identity, and fulfillment beyond higher education.


In collaboration with campus partners, OPD also offers an array of professional and personal development topics: 

  • Employee Benefits and Payroll Information 
  • Managing Student Employees
  • Peoplesoft, Banner and Data Warehouse 
  • Purchasing 
  • Travel and Expense Proxy  
  • SAVIP, Recovery Zone,Green Zone, and Support Zone  
  • Personal Development such as Investing, Wellbeing and Preparing for Retirement   
  • Safety on Campus (Columbia) 

See our course calendar or course list for current offerings and schedule to attend.

Build your Skills with AI as your Coach

AI as Your Thought Partner | Practice Lab | Coach

Technology-enabled skill building through AI-powered practice labs, simulations, and guides that give learners a low-stakes space to practice, reflect, and build habits before demonstrating competence, earning badges, and applying skills on the job.

Technology-enabled practice labs that use AI as a private coach and practice partner, giving learners a low-stakes space to develop micro-skills, reflect, and build habits before being assessed or performing live.

Foundational AI + Skills (perform effectively today)
Future-Ready AI + Skills (prepare for tomorrow)
  • AI + Project Management (coming soon)
  • AI + Change Management (coming soon)

Step-by-step guides with practical tools, templates, and AI prompts that help employees apply structured processes like project management, change adoption, or problem solving without needing deep expertise.

  • Project Management Playbook (coming soon)
  • Change Adoption Playbook (coming soon)

Self-Guided Assessments

Personal insight tools to build self-awareness and identify growth opportunities. Use results to further your development with your Individual Development Plan (IDP).

*Assessments are voluntary tools to support growth, teamwork, and reflection—never for evaluation. There are no right or wrong results and they are not tests.

  • EQ Self-Assessment: Workplace Strategies for Mental Health. Covers four EI areas plus suggestions for improvement. Useful for integrating in IDP as “Where can I grow in dealing with stress / others’ perspectives?”
  • Personal Growth Mindset: Assess your own personal growth mindset to identify areas where you need to improve and track your progress.

Here are ideas for integrating these tools into your IDP process:

  • Step 1 (Analyze Needs & Future Skills): Take one or two of these assessments (say, an EQ test + a team effectiveness quiz) to surface “blind spots” or skill gaps. Use AI to help interpret the results (e.g. “Given my EQ test results, what are 3 skills to prioritize?”).
  • Step 3 (Identify Activities): Use assessment results to pick development activities (e.g. if your meeting effectiveness score is low, take a workshop or try a meeting-facilitation lab).
  • Step 4 / 5 (Measure & Adjust): Re-take a tool (or similar one) after some months to see improvement; use AI prompts like “What's my progress in meeting productivity from the last self-assessment?”
Additional Learning Resources:

Tap into university-based training and compliance resources.

External Learning Resources or Networks (Role-based)

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.

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