PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING

PD & T Program | Core Skills Training | Training Course Catalogue | DGC Rep Certification Program | Mandatory Safety Certificates  | Travel Grants & Education Bursaries | Contact PD & T Staff

DGC Ontario’s robust Professional Development & Training program offers a wide variety of courses to our Members. From fine-tuning your technical expertise to diversity and inclusion training to building confidence via empowering leadership workshops, there’s a DGC Ontario course for you! 

We are committed to providing all Members with best-in-class training programs that reflect timely issues and technologies, enabling Members to develop their skill sets, become experts in their craft, and advance their careers. 

The PD&T Program is always on the lookout for new course ideas and to build our roster of Member instructors. If you’d like to get involved, email training@dgcontario.ca.

 

DGC ONTARIO CORE SKILLS TRAINING

MEMBERSHIP FUNDAMENTALS: DGC ORIENTATION

This orientation for new and re-joining Members is designed to help you get the most out of your Membership. Topics covered will include information about your Membership, such as Retirement Plans and Health & Welfare Benefits, your responsibilities as a DGC Member, learning about the Standard Agreement and Rate Sheets, a review of paperwork (deal memos, timesheets, etc), working as a DGC Member, and meeting members of the DGC Ontario staff. This course is open to all Members who want to gain a better understanding of what is available to them as a Guild Member.

Our brand new online, on-demand DGC Ontario Orientation course is now live! To get started, visit dgcontario.ca/onlinelearning and signup.

MEMBERSHIP FUNDAMENTALS: BUILDING A RESPECTFUL WORKPLACE

This course has been a mandatory training requirement for incoming Members for several years, but it is highly recommended for all Members to participate in this course. This interactive discussion will focus on workplace violence, harassment and discrimination and examines how unconscious biases can affect the workplace. After an overview of industry etiquette, the course looks at existing problems and then talks about solutions. Prevention, legal and union aspects, Workplace Violence and Workplace Harassment in the Occupational Health & Safety Act will be covered. This essential training will provide you with information on proper workplace behaviour and how to address issues that may arise in the workplace.

STANDARD AGREEMENT 101

This course will familiarize Members with the 2019-2021 DGC/CMPA Standard Agreement and its various schedules, with a particular focus on the Ontario Schedule.  The Ontario Schedule contains most of the practical provisions for work in Ontario, specifically regarding work week structure, payroll premiums, holidays, benefit payments, nearby and distant location provisions, lay-off and termination, screen credits, minimum staffing, etc.  There will also be a brief overview of the general provisions of the Core Schedule, which applies to all five of the District Councils under the Standard Agreement, and of the Members’ responsibilities under the Ontario ByLaw #1 (often referred to as the Constitution).

LEADERSHIP IN THE WORKPLACE

Natasha Tony facilitates discussions on inclusive leadership and managing conflict in the workplace. 

This workshop will address effective approaches to building a team, the dynamics of power, and alternative methods of communication and conflict management. The course will provide Members with the tools required to perceive potential situations of conflict and defuse them before problems, complaints, or grievances arise. The workshop will examine the issue of harassment and workplace violence, establishing practices for determining underlying causes, as well as positive strategies for addressing issues as they arise. It will also equip those in a supervisory position with the confidence to pursue issues through the appropriate channels of authority (from the Member to the Department Head to the Production) and to properly engage with those authorities. Participants will leave feeling empowered to expand the principles of their leadership skills and with the ability to better mentor team members and build stronger support networks through effective communication. Active participation through discussion with the facilitator and the other attendees will be both welcome and encouraged.

BYSTANDER INTERVENTION TRAINING

This workshop is focused on building your skills in detecting and intervening when you witness harassment. It includes recognizing how power dynamics influence our ability to intervene, barriers, and how to support those who experience harm. Whether you are a shy person or more outgoing, there is a way for you to play a role in interrupting harassment at work and contribute to a safer industry for all.

SUSTAINABILITY FUNDAMENTALS 

In DGC Ontario’s Sustainability Fundamentals workshop, you will be a part of imagining a green future for the film and TV industry. Learn basic sustainability topics as they relate to the industry, and set out a clear path to starting green initiatives at your organization. Topics include circular economy thinking, waste diversion, recycling/compost, calculating carbon footprints and offsets, and overcoming common barriers to sustainability in film and TV. It will also include a case study, interactive discussions and a breakout room activity.

TRAINING COURSE CATALOGUE 

 

TRAINING CALENDAR

To view a schedule of all current Training available to Members and to sign up for courses, click here.  

To ensure you can view all courses, please log in. 

Note: All Members and Apprentices can enroll in any of the courses via the PD & T calendar.

 

DGC REP CERTIFICATION PROGRAM 

The DGC Ontario Executive Board established the DGC Rep Certification program in January 2022. A DGC Rep should be an experienced Full or Associate Member who has a solid understanding of Standard Agreement provisions. The DGC Rep communicates with DGC Ontario staff as required for points of clarification and interpretation of any contractual issues that might arise.

To obtain the status of Certified DGC Rep, Members must complete 6 courses: 

• DGC Ontario Orientation
• Leadership in the Workplace For Supervisors
• Standard Agreement 101
• Myth of Cinematic Immunity
• Bystander Intervention Training*
• Sustainability Fundamentals*

*These two courses were added to the mandatory list at the Executive Board meeting on March 6, 2024, and Mental Health First Aid was removed.  Although these changes were adopted on a go-forward basis, all existing DGC Reps are encouraged to take these newly required courses.

If you are elected as DGC Rep on a signatory production, you are eligible to receive a payment of $50/week for each week of principal photography, payable at the end of production. Please note that you must still be selected by your DGC team/colleagues to hold this position and that achieving this certification does not give you an automatic right to the position.

This program is an excellent step toward establishing a group of DGC Reps who are educated on effective team leadership, capable of navigating contractual and workplace issues with staff assistance as required, and who are well-informed about how our organization functions.

For more information on the DGC Rep Certification Program, please contact Cristy Becker at cbecker@dgcontario.ca.

For a list of Certified DGC Reps, click here.

MANDATORY SAFETY CERTIFICATES

The following courses are requirements for DGC Membership and must be completed before you submit your application.

WORKER HEALTH & SAFETY CERTIFICATE

All Guild Members, regardless of category, are required to have this certificate. You must have proof of completion for your Employer. 

Please click on the links below to access the online training courses. If you work in both capacities, it is recommended you take both courses. 

Department Heads or Supervisors: Supervisor Health and Safety

All other positions: Worker Health and Safety

The Ministry of Labour will not retain a record of your completion of the course, so you will need to print your certificate of completion. Once you have completed the course, email a PDF of your certificate to DGC Ontario at membership@dgcontario.ca. Your certificate will be kept on file.

WORKPLACE HAZARD MATERIALS INFORMATION SYSTEM (WHMIS) 2015 CERTIFICATE

The complex day-to-day operations of the screen-based industry demand that you have basic training of hazardous materials. 

The online course is available for $15 plus tax here: WHMIS 2015 (GHS) compliant

The Ontario Health and Safety guidelines recommend taking this at least once a year to be familiar with changes and regulations.

 

TRAVEL GRANT & EDUCATION BURSARIES

DGC Ontario wants to make sure Members can access professional development and training. Here are two additional ways we can help:

TRAVEL GRANT

Members living outside the GTA may be eligible for travel grants associated with participating in a course or attending the DGC General/Annual Meeting(s).

Travel grants must be pre-approved in advance and include expenses such as plane, train or bus tickets, gas, parking, hotel stays, taxis, and food.

Receipts for all reimbursed expenses are required as well as confirmation for attending the course/meeting. 

Eligible up to $250 per day. 

To apply, you must submit a travel grant request. 

EDUCATION BURSARY

The purpose of the DGC Ontario Member Education Bursary is to enable Members to take advantage of professional development and continuing education opportunities that are not available through the DGC Professional Development and Training Program. The Bursary is intended for Members to enhance their skills in their DGC job category and DGC career path.

The Bursary Application can be found here. The completed application should be submitted to training@dgcontario.ca.

Applications must be submitted prior to the completion of the course/program/workshop.

 All applications will be reviewed by the Bursary Committee, comprised of at least three persons representing both Staff and Members.

All applications will be reviewed based on the following criteria: 

1. How will this course benefit the Member’s DGC career path?
2. How will this course enhance the Member’s skills in their existing DGC job category?
3. The course must not be comparable to any already offered through the DGC Ontario Training Program.
4. The course must not be a full-time degree program.
5. Applicant must have been a Member for one continuous year. If a Member is within 30 days of this one year, the application will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
6. Applicant must not have used the maximum allowance ($1500 per annum) within the past calendar year.
7. Application Form must be complete, with all required supporting documentation.
8. Applications will not be accepted retroactively and must be submitted to DGC Ontario prior to the completion of the course.

CONTACTING STAFF

For more information on courses, please contact Professional Development & Training Manager Cristy Becker at training@dgcontario.ca.