Posts Tagged ‘training needs analysis’
Maximise Your Workforce Productivity = Capability x Capacity + Contribution
Blog courtesy of Wendy Perry, Head Workforce Planner, Workforce BluePrint who presented Maximise Your Workforce Productivity and Uncover Funding Opportunities at a breakfast event in Townsville on 17 April 2012 sponsored by DEEWR and the Barrier Reef Institute of TAFE.
QLD is nearly twice as likely to be having difficulty in attracting staff in regional towns/cities (48.6%) than the national average (25.8%). The mining states of WA & QLD are also facing difficulty in attracting staff to rural and remote locations, with twice as many respondents in these combined states saying this is the case (17.9%), compared to the rest of Australia (8.9%). Labourers have been much more difficult to recruit in QLD (20.3%), which has recently suffered considerable damage from flooding, than the other states.
Source: Bank West Skills Shortage Report, April 2012
Why Workforce Planning? Why for you?
- Risk management
- Significant employer or small employer
- Dynamic and complex economy
- Legislative and contractual environment
- Significant growth or downsizing
- Challenges with shift in demographics and age profile
- Industry and policy directions (national, state, local)
- New project, site, facility
- Problems attracting, recruiting and retaining staff
- Improve quality, workplace health and safety
- Example of good practice and increasing requirements for contracts/client expectations
- Evidence based approach for capability, tenders and proposals
Business Health Check – strengths and development needs
At a high level where are the strengths and where are the development needs?
From 0 – 10 rate your organisation across the following areas:
- Strategic Direction
- Development of Business Processes
- Human Resources
- Finances
- Customers
- Market Analysis
What is Workforce Planning? What is Workforce Development?
Workforce Planning is the process of taking stock of the current workforce, forecasting future workforce requirements and identifying gaps or issues.
Workforce Development relates to strategies and activities that bridge those gaps.
Develop a workforce plan in 5 easy steps
- Context and environment
- Current workforce profile
- Future workforce profile
- Gap analysis and closing strategies
- Review and evaluation
Who should be involved?
- Business owner/manager and/or executive commitment
- Whole of business? Slice/sample? Depends on the size of your organisation
- Utilise communication mechanisms across the organisation – executive, management, general staff, clients
- Incorporate existing information e.g. Staff surveys, performance management, job descriptions
- An approach that works well is a working group representing job roles
- Development of a project plan
- Over educate & over communicate
Design workforce development strategies to attract and retain your workforce – build capability and capacity plus contribution. Gap closing strategies may include:
#1 = Retention
- Ageing particularly if you have an outside workforce with Workplace Health and Safety issues
- Succession planning, knowledge management, communication, career paths
- Training needs analysis, learning and development plans, leadership development
- Work Life Balance – packaging benefits of flexible working arrangements, phased retirement
- Employer of Choice, reward and recognition
- Common employee views – not feeling valued and respected, could attract a higher salary elsewhere, don’t like internal politics
- Check on excessive hours, stress management
- Priority occupations – demand vs. supply + or –
#2 = Attraction and Recruitment
Maximise Your Workforce Productivity by building on Capability x Capacity + Contribution through a workforce plan and take control. Already have a workforce plan in place? Use this checklist to compare your plan against a good practice approach.
Subscribe to this blog for the next post on Uncovering Funding Opportunities.
NEW for 2012 Workforce Planning and Development Conference Talks (C) and Workshop (W) Topics
Looking for relevant and practical professional development and engaging conference presenters? Any of these NEW topics interest you?
- A Broader View of Client Workforce Development
- An Introduction to Innovative Workforce Management
- Building Competency Frameworks to Measure Workforce Capability
- Developing a Workforce Plan in 5 Easy Steps
- Engaging Employers, Stakeholders and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises
- Future Service Provision
- Give Your Organisation a Health Check or Give your charity a business check
- How to Develop a Skills Profile
- Organisational Development – what every CEO, HR and VET professional must know
- Regional Workforce Planning
- Training Needs Analysis
- Work Life Balance – An Introduction
- Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) Extreme Make-over
- Teleworking and Working at Home
- What’s in your Innovation Toolkit?
- Workforce Development and Planning in Practice
NB. Check out the info on customisation
Supporting tools and resources including:
- NBN Enabled Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) – Assess Your Capability; and
- Workforce Planner Self-evaluation
Interested? YES, then read about the details of the topics, send an email to wendy@workforceplanningtools.com.au with your pick and mix list or specific focus area and we’ll come back to discuss what you want, a brief proposal and possible dates. Thank you!
PS. join the Workforce Planning Tools LinkedIn Group for links, tips and hints.
Get Ready for Skills for All
If you are operating in the South Australian training market then ‘get ready’ is the key message from the Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology (DFEEST). Get ready for:
- the application process to open in the last week or two of October 2011;
- the course (qualifications and skills sets/licence outcomes) list in November 2011 – could be a specialist occupation, state priority (such as Defence, Mining, Arts), foundation skills and/or meet specific industry needs; and
- the price list available in December 2011.
Prices will be detailed at a unit of competency level and will vary depending on AQF levels. The rates will be based upon an average of User Choice, Productivity Places Program and TAFESA’s recurrent funding amounts (referred to as FSI500) together with a comparison of interstate VET prices. Payments are planned on units of competency completion (RTOs will need to manage their cash flow well) paid on a monthly cycle with bonus payments for full completions.
Certificate I and II will be fully subsidised, Certificate III and IV 80% subsidised and Diploma and Advanced Diploma 70% subsidised with concessions available (Healthcare/Veterans Card) and 1 skills set/year for eligible applicants. DFEEST will publish a minimum and maximum fee to be paid to make up the difference between the subsidised % and the full costs. RPL will be fully funded.
The Quality Directorate is moving into the area of contract and purchasing quality. Applications for Skills for All will be online, no fees to apply, with no closing date and it’s recommended that the RTO’s CEO gain a log in. RTOs can work on their application over time until they are ready to ‘submit’ their submission. If providers submit in December 2o11, the Minister will make some providers an offer with contract negotiations over January – March 2012 and the first list of Skills for All providers will be made public in April 2012. Fact Sheet 2 Applying to be a Skills for All Provider procedure details the process for applications and assessments.
If you are a User Choice provider and want to continue after July 2012, you need to register as a Skills for All provider. Providers may also wish to register for VET fee help with the option of income contingent loans for students.
Now for the main game, what are the selection criteria (Fact Sheet 3) for providers? Well, it’s all about performance…
- regulatory record (information will be shared with DFEEST and the regulator, ASQA);
- contract compliance;
- financial health (of the whole organisation, not only the RTO);
- number of graduates;
- student and employer satisfaction (quality indicator reports via Training Packages); and
- graduate outcomes.
Tips for providers: focus on your strengths, where industry/client demand and your performance is high, where you have strong industry connections and excellent graduate outcomes.
DFEEST is taking an evidence based approach to Skills for All providers with data and evidence to be provided about:
- Meeting SA Guidelines for RTOs;
- Meeting student learning needs;
- the RTO;
- Training Package/s; and
- Each qualification.
Review Fact Sheet 4 Preparing to Apply to be a Skills for All Training Provider for all the details on specific evidence – if you don’t have a workforce plan for your RTO and/or a recent Training Needs Analysis then this has to be the catalyst!
A few final things..
- What RTOs put in their application will form part of the contract requirements;
- The contract will be monitored with an annual review, reporting and claims requirements, benchmarking across similar courses with triggers if you are an ‘outlier’ in terms of performance/price or receive complaints against your RTO; and
- Information on Skills in the Workplace will be available in October 2011.
Throughout 2012, the level of interest in workforce development, with RTOs building their own workforce plan’s and undertaking professional development in workforce development and planning, has significantly increased as leaders are positioning themselves to be primed for Skills for All and national reforms – are you?
Want to be the first to get the news and info? Subscribe to the Workforce Planning Tools blog and contact our Head Workforce Planner, Wendy Perry via wendy@workforceblueprint.com.au for assistance with your workforce plan.
PS. Have you seen the latest announcement from Traineeship and Apprenticeship Services about additional User Choice funding for Existing Worker Certificate III Training Contracts? For commencing contracts on or after1.9.11, all existing worker trainees under a Cert III qual will attract a User Choice subsidy in South Australia. For further info, contact Chris Pyne, Manager, Traineeship and Apprenticeship Programs.
National Workforce Development Fund, Skills Australia, NCVER, Skills for All, news, views, blogs
National Workforce Development Fund - On Wednesday 10 August 2011, the National Workforce Development Fund (NWDF) opened with $558 million for 2011-12 to 2014-15 and the due date for applications is 12 noon 30 September 2011*…
Putting skills at the heart of the economy - Anticipated by leaders in skills and workforce development and coming at a crucial time, the Putting skills at the heart of the economy 2011 conference held on 21 July 2011 at The Crown Conference Centre, Melbourne, was very well attended with a great line up of speakers…
2011 NCVER No Frills Conference - I haven’t missed many NCVER conferences over the years and I’m glad that I attended the 20th No Frills Conference in Coffs Harbour this week as it gave me an opportunity to take some time out to think of new initiatives and identify ideas to explore with others…
Skills for Prosperity and the 2011 Federal Budget – On the 3rd May 2011, Skills Australia launched their most significant paper to date on workforce development titled Skills for Prosperity A roadmap for Vocational Education and Training…
Evidence based approach to workforce and client demand - Increasingly you are being asked to provide evidence of demand for jobs and skills that are linked to your contracts, funding and proposals as well as your programs and services, and that reach specific outcomes and targets…
Skills for All and Opportunities for You - Skills for All, the Strategic Direction for Vocational Education and Training in South Australia 2011-2014 has been published and was great weekend reading with the pink highlighter pen out…
Congratulations to:
Skillsbook website providers a home for credentials – use Skillsbook to build skills profiles for RPL, profile job roles, undertake Training Needs Analysis and build competency frameworks. Download Skillsbook for iphone too.
RDNS Education Centre for being shortlisted for small training provider of the year at the South Australian Training Awards – see you on the night, 2nd September 2011 at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
National Crime Check – new website launched where you can submit your police check online.
Australian VET Leaders – potential, emerging and current Join the 400 strong members of this LinkedIn community discussing VET issues and opportunities. Are you an Australian VET Leader?
Training Needs Analysis Workshops Recently Service Skills Australia presented a professional development opportunity ideal for practitioners facilitating internal Training Needs Analysis (TNA), working with teams, enterprises and organisations, up to major projects such as large sporting complexes, around Australia. Workforce BluePrint was contracted to facilitate the workshops and Wendy Perry and we received feedback like,
Thank you for the material from the recent workshop on TNA. It is most help full and appreciated. Can I say that I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation and as it gave me a better insight into the value of TNA and its execution.
Here are all the comments from participants.
SMART Business Association The SMART Business Association website is being designed and it will be the site to be on if you run a business in Southern Adelaide or do business in the South – all with searchable categories and extras to help you to grow your business and local market. Get a listing as part of your membership for only $50, email Garry Triffett for your membership form.
Latest Presentations and Workshops Workshops, conferences, professional development activities on leading edge topics. Bookings are currently being taken into 2012 – get in quickly with your preferred dates!
Customer Friendly Flying and Travel in Australia
Queen’s birthday long weekend in Rockhampton
Hobby blogging as featured in SA Defence Business Magazine
Think Food – Think Consistency, Quality and Trust as featured for in business magazine
Barossa Valley – can we have it all plus a mini break?
Lazy Ballerina, K1, Three Brothers Arms, Longview and Royal Oak
Succeeding in your first full time job
What have we been up to?
- Development of workforce plans and competency frameworks for various clients across Australia in the Agriculture, Banking and Finance, Building and Construction, Civil Construction, Community Services, Contact Centre, Defence, Disability, Education, Employment Services, Energy, Events, Food and Wine, Government, Health, Higher Education, Manufacturing, Mining and Resources, Telecommunications, Tourism, Vocational Education and Training (VET), and Water sectors
- Consultant for the design and development of Ergon Energy’s Capability Framework, 2011
- Project management of the South Australian Contact Centre Survey for ATA and the Department of Trade and Economic Development, 2011
- Project management of the WorkLife Balance Innovations Project for SafeWork SA including facilitation of Masterclasses, 2011
- Facilitation of the Women influencing Defence and Resources Industries (WiDRI) Community of Practice, 2011
- Recognition of Prior Learning Project for Regional Development Australia, Kangaroo Island, June 2011
- Skills Australia information session, May 2011
- DFEEST SA Works Strategic Planning Workshop, May 2011
- Defence Teaming Centre networking, May 2011
- Workforce development and planning workshop for small-medium sized enterprises (SMEs), Sunraysia Institute of TAFE, Mildura, May 2011
- ACPET and WEA networking event, May 2011
- Workforce plan for South West TAFE in Victoria, May 2011
- South Australian Skills and Workforce Forum, April 2011
- Women influencing Defence and Resource Industries (WiDRI) Community of Practice launch, April 2011
- Women in Leadership, CEDA luncheon, April 2011
- Can we have it all? Regional Development Australia, Barossa Valley, April 2011
- SMART Friday Night drinks at the Vic, March 2011
- Think Food, Food SA, March 2011
- Work Life Balance Masterclass and Tools project, March 2011
- Workforce planning for service success, Jobs Australia, March 2011 and May 2011
- Cellar Door Wine Festival, February 2011
- RPL system design, February 2011
- SMART business breakfast, February 2011
- Workforce planning for local government, Queanbeyan Local Government Association NSW, February 2011
- Development a regional workforce plans and client analysis for Job Service Australia and Disability Employment Service providers, 2011
- Regional workforce plan for the Mid North and Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, January 2011
- Australia Day mini break at Port Elliot, January 2011
- Tour Down Under, Willunga stage finish, January 2011
- Business and workforce profile for Kangaroo Island, January 2011
Contact us…
The very best way to contact us is via 1. email wendy@workforceblueprint.com.au , 2 text 0416 150 491, 3. Call 0416 150 491, 4. call our office number 08 8387 9800, 5. fax 08 8387 9820.
If you do not wish to receive copies of our enews please send an email to wendy@workforceblueprint.com.au with “Thanks but no thanks” in the subject line – we’ll understand.
Workforce Development Plan
So what is workforce development?
It is an umbrella term for implementing strategies that help you bridge the gap between your current workforce and your target (future) workforce. Workforce development strategies address the gaps that you find when you undertake workforce planning and training needs analysis where the output is a workforce plan. The strategies could be about attraction, recruitment, retention, career progression, succession planning, job design, skills and competencies, values and behaviours, KPI’s and performance.
Generally when you write a workforce plan you cover the same time frame as the organisation’s strategic plan which could be 1, 3, 5, 10 or 20 years depending on your industry and budget cycles. The steps are reflected in the document itself starting with 1. Context and environment, 2. Current workforce profile, 3. Future workforce profile including forecasting demand and supply, 4. Gap analysis, priorities, implementation, 5. Review, monitor, evaluate.
Review your workforce plan regularly – about every 6 months or if there has been a major workforce change or refocus of the business. The workforce plan is a dynamic document resulting in a prioritised action plan identifying who will do what and by when – it’s not uncommon for organisations to have numerous updated versions of their workforce plan over the timeframe for which it has been designed.
As job roles change and you implement workforce development strategies, the framework that measures your workforce capability also needs to change to reflect the organisation’s structure and focus. You may want to build a capability framework to help you measure your workforce capability and capacity. Revisiting your demand and supply forecasting is important to see if you are on track.
The process is facilitated transparently, involving people from across your organisation to help identify strengths, development needs and issues. Communication, consultation and education is critical so you know what to do and what you are aiming for using a practical, straight forward approach – don’t over complicate it!