Career Enhancement and Electives

This hands-on course teaches Mississippi state managers to safely use AI to simplify daily workflows. You will learn to draft, summarize, and rewrite complex agency documents using a four-rule safety framework. Grounded in Executive Order 1584, this introductory training requires no technical or coding background.

•  AI Tool Setup & Connectivity: Walks participants through selecting the right AI platform.
• Hands-On Exercises: Focus on immediate, practical application, with managers using their own unclassified agency documents to practice drafting, summarizing, and simplifying text.
• Core Safety Guardrails: Establish a strict four-rule safety framework covering a hard ban on Personally Identifiable Information (PII), detection of AI hallucinations, maintenance of human accountability, and use of public data only.
• Compliance & Policy: Grounded in Mississippi Executive Order 1584 to ensure state managers understand how to use AI tools ethically and legally.

Target Audience: All employees

3 Hours CPM Elective Credit

This course teaches Mississippi state managers to use AI as a strategic partner. You will learn to stress-test agency plans, audit policies for rural bias, and analyze vendor contracts. The class also covers data classification and drafting an official AI charter to ensure team compliance with Executive Order 1584.

•  Strategic Thinking Prompts: Teaches managers to use AI as a critical reviewer to challenge assumptions and stress-test initiatives before presenting them to stakeholders.
• Bias & Blind-Spot Auditing: Offers specific prompts, such as the Rural Bias Test, to review public policies and identify potential service or digital access gaps for rural Mississippi residents.
•  Vendor & Contract Analysis: Provides a structured prompting framework to evaluate vendor proposals, compare competing tools, and flag high-risk contract clauses.
• Data Classification Tiers: Outlines a clear three-tier system (Public, Restricted, and Confidential) to help managers safely categorize and handle agency data.
• Agency AI Charter: Guides managers in drafting a one-page governance baseline that defines approved, prohibited, and supervisor-dependent AI tasks for their teams.

Target Audience: All employees

3 hours CPM Elective Credit

This class is ideal for employees who are new to obtaining grant funding. Participants will learn the fundamentals of grant writing and how to identify funding sources.
Objectives:
•    Explain the phases of grantsmanship (the art of obtaining grants)
•    Define and explain the components of a proposal
•    Increase knowledge and skills required to write effective grants for government and private foundations
•    Identify sources of potential funding
TARGET AUDIENCE: All staff responsible for securing funding
6 Hours CPM Elective Credit

This class is ideal for those that manage multiple grants in different phases. Financial management, rules & regulations, working with grant partners obstacles to success, and different grant reports are discussed. 
Objectives:
•    Gain increased understanding of the grants management process
•    Provide an overview of reporting requirements for grants
•    Understand the role monitoring and audits have in the grant process
TARGET AUDIENCE: All staff responsible for securing funding
3 Hours CPM Elective Credit

Talent development reflects an agency's commitment to continual improvement. Developing employees can have a big impact on an agency when the development leads to improvement in agency services. Developmental activities increase technical, interpersonal, and managerial skills. When employees are equipped to work better, the agency's overall performance improves.
Objectives:
•    Learn about the steps in the development planning cycle
•    Become familiar with performance-potential grid 
•    Learn to recognize where your employee is on the performance/potential grid 
TARGET AUDIENCE: Individuals who interact with the public,
Those who are on a management track,
Those who deliver critical services, 
Those who manage people, projects, or programs, or
Human Resources professionals
3 Hours CPM Elective Credit

Losing good people is costly, especially when knowledge walks out the door. This session ties together four connected challenges: staying engaged, recognizing and preventing burnout, keeping strong talent, and preparing the next generation of leaders. Participants build strategies for creating a workplace where people want to stay and grow, and for growing themselves.

• If you supervise: Spot burnout early, retain top performers, and build your bench.
• If you don't yet: Protect your own energy, own your career path, and prepare to be the "next" in succession planning.

TARGET AUDIENCE: Individuals who interact with the public,
Those who are on a management track,
Those who deliver critical services, 
Those who manage people, projects, or programs
6 Hours CPM Elective Credit

The generation we belong to is one of the many differences we may have with our coworkers. Those differences can cause stress, discomfort, conflict, and frustration for supervisors.
Objectives:

• To understand the changing demographics
• To better understand the impact of having all generations working together in the workplace
• To increase understanding and communicating with all generations
• Increase organizational effectiveness and meet changing needs

TARGET AUDIENCE: Individuals who interact with the public,
Those who are on a management track
Those who manage people, projects or programs
6 Hours CPM Elective Credit

Change is inevitable—but success isn’t. This dynamic course is designed for leaders and professionals who want to drive meaningful transformation within their organizations. Participants will explore why many change initiatives fail and learn how to implement a proven framework for leading change effectively. Through real-world examples and practical tools, students will develop strategies to evaluate current initiatives, anticipate challenges, and plan for sustainable success. Key focus areas include managing resistance, fostering commitment, and building a culture ready for change. By the end of the course, participants will be equipped to lead change confidently and efficiently—today and in the future.

Being prepared for the unexpected is vital to a healthy organization. Leaders should know who is responsible for speaking on behalf of the agency during any crisis or emergency.  This session involves the development of a plan that is communicated to all staff. 
Objectives:
•    Learn how to diffuse emotional responses and think clearly during crisis
•    Identify the areas where critical services must be available during crisis
•    Develop a template for a crisis communications plan 
TARGET AUDIENCE: Individuals who interact with the public,
Those who are on a management track,
Those who deliver critical services, 
Those who manage people, projects, or programs, or
Human Resources professionals
6 Hours CPM Elective Credit

In today’s workplaces, success depends not only on technical skills but also on the ability to understand and manage emotions—our own and those of others. This class helps participants build the emotional intelligence competencies that lead to stronger relationships, improved communication, and better performance. Through guided reflection, self-assessments, and practical exercises, learners will explore the five core domains of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-management, self-motivation, empathy, and relationship management. Participants will learn to recognize emotional triggers, manage stress effectively, communicate with empathy, and foster trust within their teams. The course offers practical strategies for applying emotional intelligence to real-world workplace situations, resulting in more effective leadership, collaboration, and personal fulfillment.

TARGET AUDIENCE: Individuals who interact with the public,
Those who are on a management track,
Those who deliver critical services, or
Those who manage people, projects, or programs
6 Hours CPM Elective Credit