Services
Six ways to work together.
Each engagement is scoped to the program, learner group, existing materials and level of development required. A written proposal confirms deliverables, timeline and fee before work begins.
Not sure which engagement fits? Most conversations begin with the decision your organization needs to make, not with selecting a package.
Fees are quoted in Canadian dollars. Written proposals may also provide US-dollar or Mexican-peso equivalents where relevant.
How the six engagements relate
At a glance
| Service | Best when | Typical timeline | Typical investment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curriculum review | You have a course, workshop series, camp or set of teaching materials and want an outside learning-design perspective before making changes. | 2–4 weeks | CAD $2,500–$5,000 |
| Curriculum blueprint | Your organization has subject expertise, existing content or a promising concept, and needs a clear structure showing what learners should achieve, in what order, and how the pieces fit together. | 3–6 weeks | CAD $4,000–$7,500 |
| Complete curriculum build | You need more than a framework: the educational architecture plus the practical materials an instructor or facilitator needs to deliver the program. | 6–12 weeks | CAD $8,000–$18,000+ |
| Learning pathway | You run multiple levels, age bands, courses or programs that developed separately and now need a coherent learning journey. | 8–16 weeks | CAD $15,000–$35,000+ |
| Educational program design | You are creating a new educational, enrichment or community program, or substantially redesigning an existing one. The focus extends beyond curriculum to the complete program model. | 6–14 weeks | CAD $10,000–$25,000+ |
| Organizational learning strategy | You run multiple education programs, audiences or departments that need stronger alignment, clearer pathways, shared design standards or a long-term learning direction. | 3–6 months | CAD $25,000–$60,000+ |
Curriculum review
Understand what is working, what is missing, and where to invest next.
When this is the right fit
You have a course, workshop series, camp or set of teaching materials and want an outside learning-design perspective before making changes.
- Typical timeline
- 2–4 weeks
- Typical investment
- CAD $2,500–$5,000Approximate equivalents: USD $1,850–$3,700 · MXN $34,000–$68,000
What is included
- Kickoff and project-goal clarification
- Review of curriculum, lesson plans and supporting materials
- Analysis of learner fit, intended outcomes and alignment
- Review of sequence, gaps, duplication and progression
- Review of how learning is demonstrated or assessed
- Practical observations about usability and implementation
- Prioritized findings and recommendations report
- Findings presentation with your team
What this looks like for your organization
Your team keeps running the program while we examine the educational system behind it. The report gives leadership and educators a shared picture of the program's strengths, the issues that matter most, and a practical order for addressing them. A review can stand alone or become the discovery phase for a later redesign.
What your organization gains
- A shared, evidence-based picture of the program for leadership and instructors
- A clear order for addressing issues instead of competing opinions
- Less guesswork before committing budget to redevelopment
What we need to begin
- An existing curriculum, program outline or teaching materials
- A project lead as the main point of contact
- Basic information about intended learners and program goals
- Participant, instructor or family feedback if available
- Access to a small number of key stakeholders where useful
Optional additions
- Stakeholder interviews or focus groups
- Research and evidence review
- Curriculum blueprint based on the findings
- Full curriculum redevelopment
- Evaluation framework
- Implementation advisory
Curriculum blueprint
Build the educational architecture before investing in detailed content.
When this is the right fit
Your organization has subject expertise, existing content or a promising concept, and needs a clear structure showing what learners should achieve, in what order, and how the pieces fit together.
- Typical timeline
- 3–6 weeks
- Typical investment
- CAD $4,000–$7,500Approximate equivalents: USD $3,000–$5,600 · MXN $54,000–$101,000
What is included
- Learner profile and readiness considerations
- Program purpose and design principles
- Clear learning outcomes
- Prerequisite knowledge and skills
- Curriculum map
- Scope and sequence
- Module or unit architecture
- Approach to assessment and evidence of learning
- Progression and next-step recommendations
- Implementation guidance for the development phase
What this looks like for your organization
Your subject-matter experts do not need to become curriculum designers. We work with the knowledge your organization already holds and translate it into a coherent educational plan. The blueprint becomes a decision-making and development document that can guide internal educators, writers or a later full build.
What your organization gains
- A structure that keeps later content development consistent
- Clearer learning pathways for learners and the staff guiding them
- Less dependence on undocumented institutional knowledge
What we need to begin
- The program idea or existing source content
- Access to the people who hold subject-matter expertise
- Intended learner group and approximate program length
- Any standards, frameworks or organizational requirements
- A project lead who can consolidate decisions and feedback
Optional additions
- Detailed lesson or module development
- Facilitator guide
- Participant workbook
- Assessment toolkit
- Research or literature review
- Instructor training
- Complete curriculum build
Complete curriculum build
Move from an educational idea to a complete, teachable program.
When this is the right fit
You need more than a framework: the educational architecture plus the practical materials an instructor or facilitator needs to deliver the program.
- Typical timeline
- 6–12 weeks
- Typical investment
- CAD $8,000–$18,000+Approximate equivalents: USD $5,900–$13,300 · MXN $108,000–$243,000
What is included
- Discovery and source-material review
- Learner profile and design principles
- Learning outcomes and prerequisite mapping
- Curriculum map, scope and sequence
- Detailed module or session plans
- Learning activities and teaching approaches
- Checks for understanding and assessment approach
- Facilitator guidance
- Resource and material recommendations
- Agreed participant-facing resources
- Implementation notes and evaluation recommendations
What this looks like for your organization
Your organization provides the subject expertise, context and key decisions; we build the learning system around them. We approve the overall architecture before detailed development begins, which gives your team a meaningful point of input and avoids costly structural changes late in the project.
What your organization gains
- More consistent delivery across instructors and sessions
- Faster onboarding for new instructors and facilitators
- Material that is easier to update and repeat each term
What we need to begin
- A defined program concept and intended learners
- A subject-matter expert or content approver
- Available source material and research
- Program length, delivery setting and major constraints
- One organizational project lead
- Agreement on how scripted or flexible the instructor materials should be
Optional additions
- Expanded facilitator manual
- Participant workbook or resource package
- Assessment toolkit
- Instructor training workshop
- Accessibility or localization support through specialist partners
- Pilot observation and revisions
- Launch and implementation advisory
Learning pathway
Connect separate programs into a progression learners can understand and educators can deliver.
When this is the right fit
You run multiple levels, age bands, courses or programs that developed separately and now need a coherent learning journey.
- Typical timeline
- 8–16 weeks
- Typical investment
- CAD $15,000–$35,000+Approximate equivalents: USD $11,100–$25,900 · MXN $202,000–$473,000
What is included
- Inventory and review of programs in scope
- Learner segmentation and entry points
- Shared competency and outcome framework
- Entry and readiness expectations
- Level-by-level outcomes
- Progression and mastery criteria
- Cross-level scope and sequence
- Gap and overlap analysis
- Visual learning-pathway map
- Recommendations for missing, overlapping or competing offerings
- Implementation roadmap
What this looks like for your organization
Instead of evaluating one course at a time, we look at the experience from the learner's perspective: where someone enters, what they develop at each stage, how readiness for the next stage is determined, and where the organization may be losing or confusing learners. The pathway also improves program planning, registration guidance and family communication.
What your organization gains
- A progression learners and families can follow and understand
- Clearer decisions about placement, readiness and next steps
- Better alignment between individual programs and organizational priorities
What we need to begin
- A list of programs or levels to include
- Existing course descriptions and curricula where available
- Enrollment or progression information if available
- Access to selected educational and program leaders
- Organizational goals for the pathway
- A decision-maker who can resolve cross-program questions
Optional additions
- Detailed curriculum development for individual levels
- Family or participant pathway guide
- Faculty workshops
- Program naming and positioning workshop
- Evaluation framework
- Implementation advisory
Educational program design
Turn an idea or identified community need into a program that can launch.
When this is the right fit
You are creating a new educational, enrichment or community program, or substantially redesigning an existing one. The focus extends beyond curriculum to the complete program model.
- Typical timeline
- 6–14 weeks
- Typical investment
- CAD $10,000–$25,000+Approximate equivalents: USD $7,400–$18,500 · MXN $135,000–$338,000
What is included
- Needs and opportunity definition
- Stakeholder and participant profiles
- Program purpose and design principles
- Learning and participant outcomes
- Delivery model and participant journey
- High-level curriculum requirements
- Staffing and instructor profile
- Enrollment and capacity assumptions
- Budget framework and resource assumptions
- Partnership, operational and communication requirements
- Evaluation framework
- Phased launch roadmap
What this looks like for your organization
Your team may begin with a goal such as creating an after-school program, expanding youth access, launching a camp or building an education initiative around organizational content. We turn that into a model leadership can evaluate, fund and implement, with educational quality considered alongside the conditions required for sustainable delivery.
What your organization gains
- A model leadership can evaluate, fund and staff with confidence
- Educational quality planned alongside the conditions for sustainable delivery
- A documented starting point for evaluating the program once it runs
What we need to begin
- A clear organizational goal or problem to explore
- Available evidence about participant or community need
- Known budget, staffing or facility constraints
- Access to relevant internal and external stakeholders
- Existing strategic or funder requirements
- A project sponsor with decision authority
Optional additions
- Stakeholder focus groups or community consultation
- Grant and proposal support
- Complete curriculum build
- Facilitator resources
- Pilot design and observation
- Launch support
- Post-launch evaluation
Organizational learning strategy
Create a coherent direction for learning across a portfolio of programs.
When this is the right fit
You run multiple education programs, audiences or departments that need stronger alignment, clearer pathways, shared design standards or a long-term learning direction.
- Typical timeline
- 3–6 months
- Typical investment
- CAD $25,000–$60,000+Approximate equivalents: USD $18,500–$44,400 · MXN $338,000–$810,000
What is included
- Leadership discovery and strategic-context review
- Current program and portfolio map
- Learner and audience segmentation
- Stakeholder consultation
- Learning philosophy and design principles
- Portfolio gap and overlap analysis
- Learning pathways and program relationships
- Program-development standards and process
- Roles and decision points
- Evaluation and success framework
- Prioritized strategic recommendations
- Phased implementation roadmap
- Leadership workshop or presentation
What this looks like for your organization
Rather than redesigning isolated programs, this engagement examines how your educational work functions as a whole. Leadership receives a common framework for deciding who programs are for, what they should accomplish, how they relate to one another, how new programs are developed, and how success is evaluated.
What your organization gains
- A shared basis for deciding what to build, keep, merge or retire
- Consistent design standards across departments and programs
- Stronger alignment between learning goals and organizational priorities
What we need to begin
- Strategic plans and relevant organizational documentation
- Program inventory and available enrollment information
- An executive or project sponsor
- Access to agreed staff, educators and stakeholders
- Clarity about the decisions the strategy should inform
- Commitment to timely leadership review at major milestones
Optional additions
- Deeper research or environmental scan
- Facilitated staff or board workshops
- Learning pathway development
- Curriculum standards and toolkit
- Pilot redesign of priority programs
- Implementation retainer
- Ongoing strategic advisory
Workplace learning
Turn workplace knowledge into training people can use.
Many organizations already hold the knowledge their staff need: policies, procedures, experienced supervisors and technical expertise. The difficulty is turning that knowledge into training that is clear, consistent, practical and connected to what employees must do at work.
Common Thread works with employers and subject-matter experts to design learning systems around that knowledge. The organization retains authority over its policies and technical requirements; Common Thread provides the curriculum architecture, learning activities, facilitator resources and evidence-of-learning tools.
New-employee onboarding
Create a coherent learning journey for new employees, including what must be learned before work begins, what is introduced on site, and what requires continued supervision and practice.
Site and role orientation
Turn existing policies, procedures and workplace expectations into structured orientation materials appropriate to a particular role or working environment.
Toolbox talks and microlearning
Create short, repeatable learning resources supervisors can deliver consistently without relying on dense presentations or improvised explanations.
Supervisor and foreperson resources
Develop practical facilitation guides, discussion prompts, observation tools and follow-up resources for people responsible for workplace learning.
Respectful-workplace learning
Develop scenario-based learning around workplace expectations, communication, reporting pathways, professional conduct and responding appropriately to concerns.
Customer service for the trades
Prepare employees working in occupied homes, public settings or client-facing roles to communicate clearly, protect customer trust and respond appropriately when something goes wrong.
Conflict management and de-escalation
Develop practical learning for difficult workplace or customer interactions, including communication, boundaries, escalation pathways and when to seek support.
Training matrices and learning pathways
Clarify which roles require which learning, when training occurs, what must be refreshed, and how readiness or competency is demonstrated.
Competency and observation tools
Create checklists, scenario assessments, supervisor observations and documentation tools that help organizations determine whether employees can apply what was taught.
Bilingual learning materials
Develop English–Spanish versions of workplace learning materials where required. Specialized technical terminology should be reviewed by qualified bilingual subject-matter experts.
Technical and regulatory content
Common Thread designs the learning system; the employer or qualified subject-matter expert supplies and approves technical, legal and regulatory content. Where a project involves occupational health and safety requirements, the client remains responsible for determining applicable requirements, confirming technical accuracy and providing any certification that the work requires.
Optional services
These can be added to a larger engagement or scoped as standalone work.
Facilitator / instructor guide
Preparation, facilitation notes, differentiation, troubleshooting and resource guidance.
CAD $1,500–$4,000+ (USD $1,100–$3,000 · MXN $20,000–$54,000)
Participant workbook or resource
Learner-facing activities, reflection pages, reference material or take-home resources.
CAD $1,000–$3,000+ (USD $740–$2,200 · MXN $13,500–$41,000)
Assessment toolkit
Rubrics, observation tools, mastery checks, portfolios, reflection or feedback instruments.
CAD $1,500–$3,500+ (USD $1,100–$2,600 · MXN $20,000–$47,000)
Instructor training
A live workshop helping educators implement a new curriculum or framework.
CAD $750–$2,000+ per session (USD $550–$1,500 · MXN $10,000–$27,000)
Evaluation framework
Success questions, indicators, feedback tools, data sources and a practical review cycle.
CAD $1,500–$4,000+ (USD $1,100–$3,000 · MXN $20,000–$54,000)
Research and evidence review
A focused synthesis of research, standards or practice to inform a design decision.
CAD $1,500–$4,000+ (USD $1,100–$3,000 · MXN $20,000–$54,000)
Implementation advisory
Support during pilot or launch, including scheduled review meetings and design advice.
Monthly or project retainer
Workplace training review
Review existing onboarding, orientation, toolbox talks, presentations and employee resources for clarity, sequence, duplication, accessibility and evidence of learning.
CAD $2,500–$5,000
Onboarding orientation blueprint
Define the learner journey, required topics, delivery responsibilities, training sequence and evidence needed for a consistent onboarding program.
CAD $4,000–$8,000
Toolbox-talk library
Create a set of short facilitator-ready sessions using technical content supplied and approved by the organization.
Scoped according to the number of topics and technical-review requirements.
Respectful-workplace workshop
Develop a facilitator-led workshop using the organization's approved policies, reporting procedures and workplace examples.
CAD $2,000–$5,000+
Needs-based pricing
Needs-based pricing is available for organizations working in regions with limited access to education: northern Canada and Mexico. It is offered only to registered non-profit, religious and charitable organizations.
Who qualifies
- Registered non-profit organizations
- Registered religious organizations
- Registered charitable organizations
Where it applies
- Northern Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and northern regions of the provinces
- Mexico: nationwide
Indigenous organizations
Discounted rates are available to Indigenous nations, communities and organizations in every region, regardless of location or registration type.
Rates are agreed case by case, based on the organization's budget and the scope of the work. Include your registration status and region in your inquiry and we can discuss it in the first conversation.
Needs-based pricingA note on fees
The ranges above are for planning and are quoted in Canadian dollars, with approximate US dollar and Mexican peso equivalents in brackets; converted amounts move with the exchange rate. Final fees depend on project size, the number of programs or modules, the amount and condition of existing material, research needs, number of stakeholders, deliverables and timeline. After an initial conversation you receive a written proposal with the recommended approach, inclusions, assumptions, timeline and a fixed project fee.
Start a project inquiry