Improving
the bottom line
Why industry values
partnerships with
TAFE NSW
Dr John Mitchell John Mitchell & Associates September 2008
Table of Contents
Foreword
2
Introduction
3
Key findings
6
CASE STUDIES
9
SNAPSHOTS
51
Case study 1. Skilling a statewide workforce:
Country Energy and TAFE NSW
10
Snapshot 1. Adding value in a business cooperative:
HunterNet and TAFE NSW – Hunter Institute
52
Case study 2. Building a learning organisation:
Franklins and TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute
14
Case study 3. Taking the workforce in a new direction:
Sydney Water and TAFE NSW – South Western Sydney Institute
Snapshot 2. Raising the status of jobs:
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (NSW Branch) and
TAFE NSW – North Coast Institute
54
18
Case study 4. Raising the productivity of new staff:
BlueScope Steel and TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Institute
Snapshot 3. Aligning training with job roles:
Bemax and TAFE NSW – Western Institute
56
22
Snapshot 4. Providing locals with career development:
Hyne Timber and TAFE NSW – Riverina Institute
58
26
Snapshot 5. Recognising the skills of experienced staff:
RAAF and TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Institute
60
Case study 6. Continually skilling new employees:
Northparkes Mines and TAFE NSW – Western Institute
30
Snapshot 6. Rejuvenating an ageing workforce:
Department of Lands and TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute
62
Case study 7. Up-skilling a regional workforce:
Norco and TAFE NSW – North Coast Institute
34
Snapshot 7. Embedding the fundamentals of workforce development:
Baker and Provan and TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Institute
64
Case study 8. Enabling staff from 142 organisations to function as one:
NSW Rural Fire Service and TAFE NSW – Riverina Institute
38
Snapshot 8. Assisting workforce planning:
Armidale Dumaresq Council and TAFE NSW – New England Institute
66
Case study 9. Opening up career paths:
Australian Lot Feeders’ Association and TAFE NSW – New England Institute
42
Case study 10. Skilling the entire workforce:
Bega Cheese and TAFE NSW – Illawarra Institute
Conclusions: the emerging model and some messages for industry
68
46
Appendix: Research methods
72
Case study 5. Increasing the confidence of employees from a
non-English speaking background: Cochlear and TAFE NSW
– Northern Sydney Institute
1
Foreword
TAFE NSW commissioned this report as part of its ongoing commitment to
building sustainable and productive relationships with business and industry.
It is intended primarily to communicate how TAFE NSW is working effectively
with enterprises and industry organisations to develop the State’s workforce.
I am confident the report will provide readers with insights into
the value industry obtains from partnerships with TAFE and how
those partnerships start, develop, strengthen and flourish.
Meeting the skills needs of NSW
Partnering with industry is an important strategy that enables
the public provider to meet the skills needs of the workforce.
2
The State Plan, A New Direction for NSW, seeks to improve
participation in vocational education and training in the next
decade. TAFE NSW has considerable responsibility for achieving
this. To meet the many challenges ahead for education and
training, we have become more agile and innovative and now
work in different ways with industry and communities to find
joint solutions.
Our responses
We continue to ensure the qualifications we offer, and the way
we deliver them, match changing patterns of employment and
demand for skills. TAFE NSW is expanding its use of new
technology, on line learning and delivery in the workplace.
During 2007, we reviewed our operations and outlined a
number of changes to improve the services we provide to
individuals, the community and industry. One of our key
commitments is to build new relationships with industry
through workforce development partnerships at the national,
regional and local levels that ensure our services meet the
changing needs of employers and employees.
Practising what we preach
We are also implementing our own workforce development
improvement strategy, through the TAFE NSW Workforce
Development Guarantee. The Guarantee will upskill 10, 000
TAFE staff over three years, as well as support a statewide
leadership development program.
Additionally, in response to industry consultations, TAFE NSW
Institutes have developed more sophisticated and responsive
customer services for employers, including dedicated points
of access by employers to services aimed directly at
improving their ‘bottom line’.
Employer services also include customised education and
training solutions developed in consultation with industry at
the national, state, regional and local levels; recognition of
employees’ prior learning and analysis of their training
needs; advice on how to access funding, including for
traineeships and apprenticeships; and job placement
services. This report provides eighteen case studies of such
solutions and relationships.
What the case studies are telling us
The case studies show that we are successfully:
•
designing whole-of-enterprise workforce development
initiatives in consultation with industry
•
customising training products and services that represent
whole-of-industry requirements and local or regional
variations
•
extending the availability of education and training
beyond traditional delivery, especially in the workplace
•
negotiating the training plans for apprentices and
trainees with individual employers, so that students learn
the skills the employer needs, and
•
identifying sources of Commonwealth and State funding
that employers can access to offset the cost of training for
new or existing workers.
Extending the relationship
Our industry partners are telling us they are experiencing a
range of immediate and longer term benefits from their
workforce development partnerships with TAFE NSW such as
improved employee productivity, improved work practices
and development of innovative products and services, to
name just a few.
We want to implement these strategies with more and more
enterprises. Institutes are proactively contacting local, state
and national employers and industry organisations and I
invite you to make contact with TAFE Institute Employer
Services (www.tafensw.edu.au) to discuss your needs.
I am sure you will enjoy reading this report with its inspiring
examples of collaboration.
Marie Persson
Deputy Director-General,
TAFE and Community Education
Introduction
This report contains examples of TAFE NSW
collaborating effectively with industry in
developing the skills of the workforce.
The ten longer case studies and the eight shorter
snapshots in this publication were deliberately
selected as outstanding examples from the current
work of TAFE NSW, to enable the identification,
description and promotion of effective strategies
used within TAFE-industry partnerships.
Audiences
•
While the main intended audience for this report is
industry, the snapshots and case studies also will
be of interest to TAFE personnel and all vocational
educators and policy makers.
the productivity, organisational, market, community
development, social inclusion and other benefits identified by
the enterprises concerned, of the workforce development
services being provided by TAFE NSW
•
the approaches and strategies being used by and the
capabilities of the teaching and other TAFE NSW staff involved
in providing workforce development services
•
the elements of an emerging framework or model which
underpins the successful service and practice being provided
by the relevant TAFE NSW staff member.
These exemplars were also selected because they
highlight the benefits arising from TAFE-industry
partnerships, particularly in positively influencing
workforce planning and development.
Industry readers will find interesting the interview
comments made about TAFE by representatives
from a range of different industries and enterprises.
TAFE staff will benefit from examining how their
peers provide exemplary services. All educators and
policy makers will be impressed by the level of
innovation and flexibility demonstrated by TAFE
NSW personnel.
Feature
Design
A feature of the report is the depth of detail
provided in the interviews with industry personnel
about the value they attach to the work of TAFE
NSW in assisting industry with workforce
development challenges, such as rapidly upskilling new staff or re-skilling existing staff.
The report contains eighteen discrete examplars
and is designed to be read not in a linear fashion,
from cover to cover, but by your seeking out
individual case studies or snapshots or portions of
each story that fit your interests.
For the reader’s ease of access, these interviews
with industry representatives are set out
separately in each section of the report.
The frankness of the interviewees’ comments and
the clarity with which they pinpoint their
expectations of TAFE may surprise the reader. The
interviewees are equally lucid about what they
appreciate about TAFE and the benefits arising
from their partnerships with TAFE.
For instance, you may wish to go through the report
and read the interviews with industry personnel. Or
you may wish to read just those exemplars focused
on aspects of workforce development such as upskilling new employees, or re-skilling experienced
staff, or developing whole workforces, or assisting
workforces in regional or metropolitan areas.
Brief and methods
The brief required the researcher to describe
successful TAFE NSW practice in providing workforce
development services to industry, through the
preparation of ten case studies and some shorter
snapshots which highlight the following:
The methods used to prepare this document are set out more
fully in the Appendix. In short, the two main methods used
were a questionnaire sent to TAFE staff involved in each
initiative, and separate telephone interviews with TAFE staff and
industry representatives involved in each of the eighteen
partnerships.
Definition of workforce development
In framing the questionnaire items and the interview questions,
the researcher used the definition of workforce development
provided in the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory
Tribunal (IPART) report, Up-skilling NSW: How vocational
education and training can help overcome skill shortages,
improve labour market outcomes and raise economic growth,
December 2006 (available from www.ipart.nsw.gov.au).
3
Introduction continued...
The IPART report notes that positioning the vocational education and training
(VET) system - and particularly TAFE NSW – to assist New South Wales to maintain
and further develop a highly skilled workforce and achieve better economic
outcomes, will require a broader, more sophisticated response than traditional
approaches to skills creation. It will require the VET system to broaden its role
beyond being a provider of skills, so that it also helps to ensure that the skills it
provides are used and applied in the real world of work.
Case studies
The ten case studies in the publication and
their workforce development foci are set
out in the following table.
Table 1: Case study participants and foci
This will require a shift in the focus from vocational education and training to the
newer concept of ‘workforce development’, which means:
4
•
increasing the capacity of individuals to participate effectively in the workforce
throughout their whole working life
•
increasing the capacity of firms to adopt high performance practices that
utilise and support the further development of their employees’ skills and
value.
TAFE-Industry participants
Main focus regarding workforce
development
1.
Country Energy and all TAFE NSW
Institutes
Skilling a large workforce spread across
the State
2.
Franklins and TAFE NSW – Sydney
Institute
Building a learning organisation
Workforce development involves much more than providing training courses that
equip individuals to meet employers’ current needs for specific skills. It involves
the VET system working closely with individual firms, clusters of firms and other
partners, to facilitate:
3.
Sydney Water and TAFE NSW – South
Western Sydney Institute
Taking the workforce in a new direction
•
the adoption of high performance practices
4.
Raising the productivity of new staff
•
the pursuit of high-value-added and innovative product and service strategies
BlueScope Steel and TAFE NSW –
Western Sydney Institute
•
the development of new approaches to employee relations, job design and
career development.
5.
Cochlear and TAFE NSW – Northern
Sydney Institute
Increasing the confidence of employees
from a non-English speaking background
6.
Northparkes Mines and TAFE NSW –
Western Sydney Institute
Continual skilling of new employees in a
remote location
7.
Norco and TAFE NSW – North Coast
Institute
Up-skilling a regional workforce
TAFE NSW, as the major provider of publicly funded VET in NSW, will need to take
a leadership role in re-focusing on workforce development. This will require it to:
•
become a recognised partner in the state’s economic development
•
seek opportunities to work with industry to affect a change in how labour is
used
•
develop a system-wide entrepreneurial culture within its Institutes
8.
NSW Rural Fire Service and TAFE NSW
– Riverina Institute
Enabling staff from 142 organisations to
function as one organisation
•
have the flexibility to meet the individual needs of its highly and increasingly
diverse clients.
9.
Australian Lot Feeders’ Association
and TAFE NSW – New England
Institute
Opening up career paths for isolated
employees
10.
Bega Cheese and TAFE NSW –
Illawarra Institute
Up-skilling the entire workforce
This IPART definition, which includes the explanation above of the importance of
workforce development, provided the backdrop for this case study research and
this report.
Snapshots
The shorter snapshots in the publication and
their workforce development foci are set out in
the following table.
Table 2: Participants in and foci of snapshots
TAFE-Industry participants
Main focus regarding workforce
development
1.
HunterNet and TAFE NSW – Hunter
Institute
Adding value in a regional business
cooperative
2.
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
(NSW Branch) and TAFE NSW – North
Coast Institute
Raising the status of jobs
3.
Bemax and TAFE NSW – Western
Institute
Aligning training with job roles
4.
Hyne Timber and TAFE NSW –
Riverina Institute
Providing locals with career
development
5.
RAAF and TAFE NSW – Western
Sydney Institute
Recognising the skills of experienced
staff
6.
Department of Lands and TAFE NSW
– Sydney Institute
Rejuvenating an ageing workforce
7.
Baker and Provan and TAFE NSW –
Western Institute
Embedding the fundamentals of
workforce development
8.
Armidale Dumaresq Council and
TAFE NSW – New England Institute
Assisting workforce planning
5
Dr John Mitchell
John Mitchell & Associates
Key findings
The case studies and snapshots in
this publication provide detailed
information about the benefits of
TAFE-Industry partnerships and the
strategies and capabilities
underpinning those partnerships.
6
This research also enables a start to be
made on describing, in words and
diagrammatically, an emerging framework
or model which underpins the successful
service and practice being provided to
industry by the relevant TAFE NSW Institutes
and staff members.
Major finding
A major finding of this research is that
effective partnerships between TAFE and
industry are the key to providing
enterprises with desired outcomes, such as
increased workforce productivity and
improved organisational performance.
This case study research reveals the critical
elements of effective TAFE-Industry
partnerships, including trust, mutual
respect, a willingness to be flexible, and a
commitment to work towards common
goals, often over extended periods of time.
Another feature of these demonstrably
effective partnerships is that all parties
contribute ideas, specialist expertise,
strategies and energy, to ensure the
participants obtain full benefits from their
involvement.
Relationships underpin and are critical to the formation,
continuation and achievements of these partnerships. However, the
concept of relationships does not cover the full range of
interactions, understandings and activities that happen between
TAFE and industry, as described in the cases set out in this
publication. The term partnerships is needed to cover the dynamic
dimensions of effective TAFE-industry collaboration such as
interpersonal interactions, multiple relationships, joint planning and
goal setting, ongoing negotiation and problem solving, and active
monitoring, review and continual improvement.
•
Organisational benefits. Many of the industry interviewees in
this publication comment on the benefits to their
organisations of partnering TAFE. For instance, Baker and
Provan is looking to TAFE to assist with the development of
specialist skills for its engineering plant so that it can
continue to service specialist technical markets (snapshot
No.7). Northparkes Mines, like all mines, requires rapid and
effective skilling of new staff, and is pleased it now has “a
structured, accredited training system in place where people
can walk straight in and up-skill in their job a lot quicker
than just by osmosis” (case study No.6).
•
Market benefits. Some industry interviewees gave examples
of how their partnership with TAFE enabled them to compete
better in markets or win new markets. Some benefits for
Norco from its partnership with North Coast Institute are its
increased ability to maintain competitiveness in international
markets and to improve market share across its business
divisions (case study No.7). Bega Cheese finds that, as a
result of partnering TAFE, it is better able “to meet local and
international audit standards from our customers and
suppliers and we’re able to demonstrate that we have a
well-trained workforce qualified to an agreed level” (case
study No.10).
•
Community development benefits. Many industry
interviewees were passionate about providing jobs for
people locally, leading to the strengthening of those
communities. For example, Country Energy has staff in
communities spread around the state, and one of the
benefits it finds from working with TAFE is that its staff
mostly do not need to travel away from their families and
communities to undertake training, due to TAFE’s reach
across NSW (case study No.1). Similarly, the Pharmaceutical
Society of Australia (NSW Branch) is conscious of the need to
win and maintain community support for many hundreds of
community pharmacies located in NSW (snapshot No.2). Its
Benefits
The snapshots and case studies in this publication provide specific
examples of the benefits of collaborative partnerships between
TAFE and industry. Depending on the situation, the benefits can
range from the up-skilling of new employees, to providing longterm career pathways, to enhancing organisational performance
and improving profit margins.
The case studies highlight the following benefits identified by the
enterprises concerned, of the workforce development services being
provided by TAFE NSW.
•
Productivity benefits. Many of the snapshots and case studies
include comments from industry about the productivity
improvements gained from the partnership with TAFE. These
range from managers at Franklins developing “a strategic way of
thinking but they’re also very aware of the requirement to build
a team and to work with teams” (case study No.2), to
manufacturing personnel at BlueScope developing “tangible
skills that they can relate straight to the line around continuous
improvement, process control, reliability processes, trade skills
and also the core manufacturing skills” (case study No.4). TAFE
has also helped cattle feedlots to increase their productivity
through developing greater awareness of quality assurance
requirements, animal health management and occupational
health and safety (case study No.9).
partnership with TAFE enables it to service the learning
needs of this widely distributed group of employers and
employees.
•
•
Social inclusion benefits. A number of interviewees, such
as those from NSW Rural Fire Service, focused on how
the TAFE partnership has enabled more female staff to
acquire confidence and develop career development
options (case study No.8). Other organisations like
Bemax (snapshot No. 3) and Armidale Dumaresq Council
(snapshot No.8) are committed to employing indigenous
staff, and giving them sufficient training - in partnership
with TAFE - to enable them to succeed in their work
roles. Cochlear’s partnership with TAFE has enabled it to
assist many staff from non-English speaking
backgrounds to improve their English, hence increasing
their confidence in discussing work issues (case study
No.5).
Other benefits. Interviewees cite a range of additional
benefits from partnering TAFE, such as the building of
skills by more staff to compensate for the impending
retirement of other staff at Sydney Water (case study
No.3) and the Department of Lands (snapshot No.6).
Other types of benefits from a TAFE partnership include
providing assistance to RAAF staff affected by an
outsourcing arrangement to gain qualifications that will
open up new career paths (snapshot No.5). Smallmedium sized businesses in the Hunter region benefit
from the capacity of TAFE to engage in research or to
customise and deliver training for multiple or specialist
enterprises (snapshot No.1).
Strategies
Just some of the more recently developed and
innovative strategies exhibited by TAFE in these
eighteen cases include assisting clients with the
following activities: increasing innovation levels,
enhancing entrepreneurial initiatives, changing cultures,
managing change, expanding markets, improving
product quality and increasing workplace safety. Many of
these strategies require TAFE staff to draw on their
expert knowledge about niche areas within an industry.
Some also require TAFE staff to apply knowledge from
other disciplines such as marketing, human resources,
project management, business improvement or
operations management, when working with their
industry partners.
The snapshots and case studies in this publication highlight
the approaches, strategies and capabilities of the teaching
and other TAFE NSW staff involved in providing workforce
development services, some examples of which are noted
below.
•
Approaches. TAFE NSW has developed and implemented
effective approaches for servicing large corporate clients
such as Country Energy and the NSW Rural Fire Service
that have staff spread around the state. Equally, TAFE
NSW has developed approaches for servicing large
numbers of small businesses such as community
pharmacies who are members of the Pharmaceutical
Society of Australia or the manufacturing businesses that
are members of the HunterNet cooperative in the Hunter
region or the cattle farmers with feedlots around rural
NSW and Queensland.
On an educational level, these approaches involve high
level skills for analysing client needs, customising
programs and flexibly delivering them. On a business
level, these approaches include sophisticated techniques
for project and relationship management. On an
administrative level, these approaches often involve
extensive TAFE systems for maintaining records,
administering enrolments, collecting monies and issuing
certificates.
•
Strategies. Many of the strategies developed by TAFE
personnel over the years continue to be relevant,
including conducting training needs analyses, mapping
job functions to Training Package competencies,
identifying employees who may be likely candidates for
recognition of prior learning, providing RPL services,
customising training to suit individuals, and using
flexible delivery and assessment methods.
•
Capabilities. The TAFE NSW staff portrayed in these
eighteen cases meet and exceed all the features of the
advanced VET practitioner described in my paper to a
national research conference in early 2008 (Mitchell,
J.G., “Capabilities of the emerging ‘advanced VET
practitioner’”, AVETRA Conference, Adelaide, April 2008).
These capabilities include a breadth of experience in
industry, refreshed by ongoing research and networking;
a deep knowledge of niche areas within their industry;
the ability to offer services both as a consultant and as a
training provider; the capacity to design, deliver and
improve the use of flexible learning strategies; a focus
on linking training to an enterprise’s strategic planning
and innovation; the ability to design training that
benefits both the individual and their employer; a skill
for positioning enterprise training so that it supports
workforce development; a track record of personalising
training for each and every client; a personal
7
Key findings continued...
Figure 1: Overall model for
TAFE-industry partnership in
workforce development
commitment to extensive and ongoing professional development; a
commitment to continuous improvement of their TAFE Institute; an
ability to develop a sustainable training business despite thin markets;
and a positive focus on the bountiful opportunities in the VET market.
Advanced TAFE practitioners not only bring exceptional capabilities to
their partnerships with enterprises, they also tap into the knowledge
and expertise of TAFE work teams and networks, ensuring that the
enterprise client has access to the capabilities of the wider TAFE system,
not just to occasional, exceptional individual TAFE practitioners.
Emerging model
8
As noted above, a major finding of the research is that partnerships
between TAFE and industry are the key to providing enterprises with desired
outcomes, such as increased productivity and improved performance.
The pivotal place of partnerships is at the heart of the emerging framework
or model which underpins the successful service and practice being provided
by TAFE NSW Institutes.
The following diagram of the model incorporates the above elements and
organises them into a synergistic relationship, as follows:
•
The model begins with the identification of industry and enterprise
needs and challenges with regard to workforce planning and
development.
•
In response to these needs and challenges, both TAFE and the enterprise
employ strategies to deliver outcomes for the enterprise.
•
However, the strategies are of most value when a relationship exists
between the parties and the strategies are implemented as part of a
partnership.
•
This partnership creates synergies between the two sets of strategies.
•
The overall outcomes of the partnership for the enterprise are improved
productivity of staff and increased organisational performance.
Further discussion of this model is
provided in the section later of this
publication entitled ‘Conclusions: the
emerging model and some messages
for industry’. Based on the evidence
provided in the eighteen case studies
and snapshots, more drawings can be
added to this basic diagram.
Case Studies
Case study 1. Skilling a statewide workforce:
Country Energy and TAFE NSW
10
Case study 2. Building a learning organisation:
Franklins and TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute
14
Case study 3. Taking the workforce in a new direction:
Sydney Water and TAFE NSW – South Western Sydney Institute
18
Case study 4. Raising the productivity of new staff:
BlueScope Steel and TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Institute
22
9
Case study 5. Increasing the confidence of employees from a
non-English speaking background: Cochlear and TAFE NSW
– Northern Sydney Institute
26
Case study 6. Continually skilling new employees:
Northparkes Mines and TAFE NSW – Western Institute
30
Case study 7. Up-skilling a regional workforce:
Norco and TAFE NSW – North Coast Institute
34
Case study 8. Enabling staff from 142 organisations to function as one:
NSW Rural Fire Service and TAFE NSW – Riverina Institute
38
Case study 9. Opening up career paths:
Australian Lot Feeders’ Association and TAFE NSW – New England Institute
42
Case study 10. Skilling the entire workforce:
Bega Cheese and TAFE NSW – Illawarra Institute
46
CASE STUDY 1.
Skilling a statewide
workforce: Country
Energy and TAFE
NSW
Introducing Country Energy
Country Energy is Australia’s largest energy supply
network, providing services across 95 per cent of New
South Wales. The company has in excess of 4,200
employees based in regional and remote areas around
the state.
The company’s focus for the future is to become
Australia’s ‘Best Essential Services Provider’. Part of
that strategy is a commitment to provide opportunities
for its employees for jobs, careers and future options
that meet both the individual employees’ needs and
the evolving needs of the business.
As an employer of choice, Country Energy actively
engages its employees, stakeholders and the
communities it serves, in order to address workforce
planning and development issues including skills
shortages, regional and remote employment, an
ageing workforce, diversity and equity, and safety and
other regulatory requirements.
10
The Powerful Skills project involves a framework for
competency based learning and for staff development and
progression. As a comprehensive organisational tool,
Powerful Skills impacts on all employees within Country
Energy, particularly those employees currently without
appropriate qualifications. The project aims to meet
learning needs related to job tasks and to improve
leadership and managerial capabilities.
Specific aims of Powerful Skills are to:
•
ensure Country Energy has the capability to meet
future workforce needs
•
address current and future due diligence needs
•
retain skilled employees in the organisation
•
provide an effective return on training and
development investment and adopt a business
approach to competency development, training and
assessment
•
add capacity and competitiveness in the open market
by building the skills base of its workforce
•
form an alliance between Country Energy and TAFE
NSW to enhance organisational capacity and create
cultural change towards life long learning.
Powerful Skills partnership
In 2004 Country Energy undertook a rigorous
competency development project known as Powerful
Skills which aligns relevant qualifications and
competencies to the job role. As a result of the
Powerful Skills project, an opportunity was identified
to develop a training partnership with TAFE NSW to
strategically assist Country Energy in meeting
workforce development challenges and to continue to
meet its corporate strategy as the Best Essential
Services Provider.
Top Left, Carl Thompson, Country Energy
Above Centre, Lara Blackwell, TAFE NSW
The partnership commenced in March 2007,
incorporating a unique partnership with all ten
Institutes of TAFE NSW. The project enjoys the full
commitment of the Country Energy Board and
Executive and the support of relevant unions.
Functionally, the project involves the following activities:
analysis of individual work roles through task analysis;
identification of competencies required in the workplace;
development of competency based position descriptions;
determination and assessment of employees’ existing
competencies and qualifications; identification of
employees’ development needs; identification of career
paths within the organisation; and introduction of a
learning and development model that empowers team
leaders to effectively develop and performance manage
employees.
Partnership arrangement
The document ‘Building Capability for the Future’ was
prepared by Carl Thompson from Country Energy and Jan
Cork from TAFE NSW. The document covers the alliance
between the two parties and was the starting point for
the business case on the partnership put forward to
Country Energy’s management.
The partnership requires each party to make contributions.
For example, Country Energy provides funding for a TAFE
representative to be located within Country Energy to
manage the service and to be the link between Country
Energy managers and TAFE Institutes. Each of the TAFE
Institutes provides one point of contact for the TAFE
NSW/Country Energy partnership manager and responds in
a timely manner to any request.
Innovative TAFE responses
A key innovative response by TAFE is to locate a TAFE NSW
employee full-time within Country Energy. “To be
immersed in the enterprise and soaking in the culture of
Country Energy, helps in the understanding of the
business’s needs and opportunities from an internal
perspective,” says that employee, TAFE’s Powerful Skills
project officer Lara Blackwell.
She describes some aspects of her role:
I need to be seen as one of the Country Energy team
and behaving as such. Part of my role is being able to
speak TAFE and VET jargon and relating that jargon,
ideas and best practices back into Country Energy.
From her position immersed within Country Energy, Lara
Blackwell has developed a practical definition of workforce
development:
I am constantly trying to add value to Country Energy
which will ultimately benefit TAFE NSW. I believe
workforce development is about adding value to
Country Energy in any way possible. This could simply
be by being the single point of contact with TAFE or
making a connection between two people, or bigger
strategic benefits such as developing the opportunities
for Country Energy to explore flexible learning
strategies or technologies.
In response to this requirement, TAFE NSW has developed this
course for inclusion on its scope of registration. Funding can be
sought through the Higher Incentives Scheme to support training
across all distributors who are working towards this qualification.
Customer Contact Centre staff
TAFE NSW’s input directly assists groups of staff such as
Lineworkers, Control Operators and Customer Contact
Centre staff, as described below.
The recognition of prior learning (RPL) process is now available in
the Customer Contact Centres for Certificate Levels II and III,
ensuring all staff are properly trained and qualified. The
consequent alignment of job roles to national units of
competency acknowledges that employees are in positions and
their skills and knowledge are being reinforced and recognised
for roles they are currently performing.
Lineworkers
Workforce development benefits
Country Energy employs 400 line workers who currently
hold a Statement of Attainment in Linework which is a
relevant qualification recognised in NSW. However this is
not a nationally recognised qualification for their role.
Regulatory requirements state that a linesman must have
a current, relevant recognised trade qualification.
Country Energy recognises the challenges posed by workforce
planning in the coming years. The Powerful Skills project was
initiated as a comprehensive training initiative strategically
designed to address a complex range of these workforce planning
issues.
Regulators in Queensland and Victoria are enforcing this
requirement and this impacts on Country Energy’s
employees who work on its infrastructure across state
borders. In order for Country Energy to meet the corporate
due diligence requirements of the OH&S Act, Lineworkers
with the original statement of attainment will ultimately
be required to undertake the Certificate III Lineworker.
Control Operators
Country Energy has 56 Control Room Operators and it was
clarified that these Control Operators hold qualifications
that are not current or relevant to their role.
The national Training Package recognises the relevant
qualification as an Advanced Diploma of ESI Power
Systems which is a relatively new qualification not held by
any Control Room Operator in Australia, including within
Country Energy.
While Country Energy is a registered training organisation with
considerable existing resources dedicated to training facilities,
programmes and specialist employees, its scope did not cover
what is required to support a whole-of-business approach to
competency development.
Recognising the approach required, the project will move Country
Energy from an existing model of salary progression based on
years of service to a model that recognises and rewards relevant
qualifications and competencies. An added benefit is the
identification of clearer and more structured career paths and
succession planning opportunities. These workforce developments
enhance Country Energy’s position as an Employer of Choice and
enable improved retention and attraction of key talent as part of
the Workforce Plan.
11
Case study 1. Skilling a statewide workforce: Country Energy and TAFE NSW
Other outcomes for client
According to Country Energy’s Carl Thompson,
further outcomes are expected as the project
progresses and as employees recognise the
opportunities and career paths the project will
identify for them, and as team leaders acquire the
skills to undertake mentoring and performance
management roles to drive change at the
workplace level. Thompson comments:
Partnering with TAFE NSW provides synergies
with an organisation with a similar state-wide
footprint, the capability to meet our diverse
range of skill requirements, the flexibility of
training via a range of mediums, and the
benefit of trainers ‘coming to us’.
12
Additional benefits include the following, says
Thompson:
The flow-on benefits of this partnership will
include projected reductions in indirect training
costs, increased training service delivery
flexibility and increased operational efficiency
as employee time ‘off the job’ will be reduced
and our responsiveness to emergency
situations, such as major storms or supply
interruptions, will be improved.
Internal TAFE cooperation
TAFE NSW’s National Business oversees the TAFECountry Energy partnership. TAFE NSW National
Business was established as the one stop shop for
all large commercial clients and it saves the
company the need to deal with ten institutes who
at times may have different administrative
processes. A virtual team of TAFE NSW Institute
contacts, in consultation with National Business,
ensures a rapid and coordinated response from TAFE
NSW.
The TAFE NSW partnership with Country Energy has
received strong support from all TAFE Institutes and
the Curriculum Centres, says TAFE’s Lara Blackwell.
“Teaching sections are enthusiastic about being
involved in such a commercial activity and always
provide timely support.”
TAFE staff capabilities
Because of the in-depth association with Country
Energy, TAFE staff now have a sound knowledge of
the organisation’s culture, systems, policies and
procedures and are able to use this to contextualise
learning and resources, says Blackwell. “TAFE staff
are now aware of the scope of job positions in
Country Energy and able to tailor workshops,
programs and assessments to the specific group.”
TAFE staff conduct workshops for Country Energy
across NSW and are seen as part of the
development program for staff. “On a daily basis,
TAFE staff demonstrate an understanding of
learning styles and the ability to customise
programs to suit different learner needs,” adds
Blackwell.
TAFE Institute capacities
Through this partnership with Country Energy, TAFE
NSW Institutes have demonstrated systemic
capacity in understanding a large company as well
as local communities and economies. TAFE NSW has
also demonstrated the value of the large scope of
courses that it can deliver for complex, distributed
organisations such as Country Energy.
Blackwell comments on other ways TAFE’s statewide capacity is used to assist its client:
TAFE’s footprint virtually matches Country
Energy’s footprint. Where there is a Country
Energy depot, there is a TAFE. Therefore training
can be conducted in local communities rather
than involve travel. This also facilitates sharing
of resources between the two organisations.
Interview with Carl Thompson,
Competency Manager, Country Energy
Could you please tell me why you established this partnership with TAFE?
About three years ago the organisation decided that it would adopt a
qualifications-based pay structure, where a qualification determines what level
of pay you get. So if you have a AQF3 it’s one pay level and if you have a
diploma or advanced diploma, it’s another level.
The problem was that Country Energy has over 4000 people. Half of those
don’t have a qualification. That doesn’t mean they’re not experienced, they
just don’t have a qualification. So straight away 2,000 people required
qualifications.
Of the 2,000 that already have a qualification, half have the wrong one. An
example of that is we have a control room that has nearly sixty control room
operators in it, again highly trained. The qualification they have is electrical
fitter/mechanic. They’ve never been trained at the standard required of the
Training Package which is an Advanced Diploma of Systems Operations. So you
can see by that, for people to participate in award progressions or to get pay
increases, they have to have an appropriate qualification.
Why not use Country Energy’s own trainers to deliver the training?
We are an RTO (registered training organisation) in our own right, but our RTO
scope is very narrow. It’s around our core business of line workers and cable
joiners. It’s not about call centres. It’s not about IT industry. It’s certainly not in
the diploma and advanced diploma areas. So we needed to form relationships
with RTOs that have that scope.
What led you to select TAFE?
I’ve been in the industry for 35 years, and for some of that time in a private
RTO as well as in a public RTO. Looking at the relationships available with
RTOs, I favoured TAFE for a number of reasons. One is that TAFE is particular
about process and as we’re linking this training to people’s pays we wanted it
to be it a transparent system. Plus we wanted it to be a consistent process
right across the board. We needed a process that was very transparent.
The other reason we chose TAFE is that if you look at our footprint across NSW,
if we had a lot of money to build a training centre where would we build it?
It’s a bit of a problem because if we built it here at Port Macquarie people
would still have to travel here.
We needed training facilities across our footprint or
access to training facilities across our footprint and
TAFE can provide that.
Is TAFE benefitting in other ways from the
partnership?
We use TAFE to provide the off-job component, so
for the on-the-job training where they need to do
laboratory work, we use our facilities and our
depots, which is good for TAFE. For TAFE to provide
that equipment would be a huge cost to them.
It’s good for the TAFE trainers because they get into
our workshops and depots and find out what sort
of technology we’re using.
I suppose from a market point of view, TAFE can
also see if there are any opportunities out there to
provide other services to us and for us it means
that our people are going to be trained on our
equipment, so that really contextualises the
training. That is why I encouraged the organisation
to go down the pathway of a public provider rather
than a private provider.
What are some of the challenges and successes to
date?
We’re looking at a commitment of about a quarter
of a million dollars a year to have the TAFE
partnership manager here. We had to be able to
show a return on investment for that, so we were
able to raise that funding.
It’s been nearly two years now since that the
partnership kicked off. Training didn’t start straight
away. We needed to get all our RPLs (recognition
of prior learning) done, we had to get people to do
task analysis and break down all our roles to find
the gap analysis.
We’ve had a lot of union involvement because at
the end of the day everyone’s rate of pay in
Country Energy is determined by this project. It’s
been a pretty bumpy road at times, but the
advantages are huge for the organisation and for
the individuals because they have lots of
experience and no qualifications, but not a lot of
portability.
TAFE provides a diploma course. They provide
underpinning knowledge. They assess the
underpinning knowledge in the training units of
competency. They’ve got the critical aspects of
assessing using performance criteria. They do all
that on-the-job. Our employees then put a portfolio
of evidence together and their team leaders can
sign off that portfolio as meeting the standards.
The regulatory legislation has shifted in the last
four years. It used to talk about someone had to
be competent for the work they did. It now talks
about them having to be appropriately qualified.
That’s a small twist, but it has big implications to
an organisation like ours because, as I said, half
the people haven’t got a qualification. Of those
that have qualifications, half have the wrong
qualification.
That’s working really well for us. To get that
agreement from TAFE I had to do a number of
things. One was to get all our team leaders, 240 of
them, trained in the assessment units of TAA
(Training and Assessment). The other thing I
proposed was an audit of 20 per cent of those onthe-job portfolios by TAFE, to give them assurance
that we’re doing the right thing, because it’s their
RTO status that we’re using.
What has worked particularly well so far?
Do you see this partnership being sustained longterm?
We’ve started off on the high risk jobs first. We
have six hundred linesmen in the organisation, and
four hundred really don’t have a qualification, just
a statement of attainment, so we’re working on
that. These people have a lot of numeracy and
literacy issues as well, so TAFE helps us with that
through WELL (Workplace English Language and
Literacy) funding. With TAFE campuses across our
footprint, it’s not difficult to get a classroom or an
off-site venue for that WELL training to happen.
In the partnership, what is your role and what is
TAFE’s role?
One of the features of the agreement that I’ve
negotiated with TAFE is that all the validation of
the on-the-job skill is done by our own team
leaders. Now that’s really good for us. As you can
imagine, we’re not getting someone to come in
from an outside organisation to say our own
people are competent.
I started my TAFE training starting back in 1970
and I’d like to think TAFE is still going to be here in
another 10 years, especially for rural and remote
New South Wales.
13
CASE STUDY 2.
Building a learning
organisation:
Franklins and TAFE
NSW – Sydney
Institute
14
Introducing Franklins
Franklins is a leading discount supermarket chain that
sells packaged groceries and perishable goods in its
eighty metropolitan and rural stores throughout New
South Wales. Franklins is dedicated to offering deep
discounting, providing outstanding customer service
and establishing a close link with the communities
with which it commenced business.
•
All training is customised for Franklins, incorporating their
policies and procedures and relevant case studies, and
choosing workplace assignments that add value to the
organisation.
•
Franklins’ management staff are involved in the delivery
of all the programs and a strong relationship has formed
between the Sydney Institute facilitators and the relevant
managers.
•
Individual support is provided to participants to ensure
completion of the training program and to maximize
Franklins’ return on investment in training.
•
Participants complete evaluation and participant feedback
reports on a regular basis and attend focus groups where
necessary. This provides both Sydney Institute staff and
Franklins’ senior management with valuable information
to enable the continuous improvement of the programs
and to ensure benefits flow through to the business.
Addressing Franklins’ needs
In early 2002, TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute was
approached by Franklins and invited to develop and
deliver customised training in a number of areas across
the business. The training programs delivered since
then include the following: frontline management as
part of Franklins’ ‘Management Development
Program’; occupational health and safety consultation
training; workplace hygiene; and retail traineeships.
Each program followed the conducting of a needs
analysis. For example, the Franklins ‘Management
Development Program’ was implemented following a
training needs analysis which identified the need to
develop management capabilities, and for employees
to receive a formal qualification to recognise their
newly developed management skills.
Sydney Institute continues to work closely with
Franklins to deliver these programs throughout NSW,
developing and raising the skills of the Franklins
workforce to meet the needs of their customers.
Sydney Institute’s approach
Left, Brigid McGrath, Franklins
Right, Heather Roberts, TAFE NSW
Some features of the ongoing services provided by Sydney
Institute are as follows:
Over the last six years a strong partnership has
developed between the two organisations and Sydney
Institute staff now have a sound knowledge of the
culture, policies and procedures of Franklins. To ensure
each training program fully satisfies the needs and
requirements of the business, a Business Development
Consultant from Sydney Institute works closely with
Franklins’ Learning and Development Manager.
Outcomes for Franklins
Brigid McGrath, Franklins’ Learning and Development
Manager, believes that the frontline management program
“has had a direct impact on the improvement of Franklins’
business processes and procedures”. She also notes that
“many of the assessment projects have been implemented
as standard practice”.
Standard practices and other activities resulting from the
training and assessment include the following:
•
a quick reference guide to occupational health and safety
(OH&S) policies that relate to each staffing position within
Franklins’ business
•
a system to manage deleted grocery lines within the
stores
•
a training program for fresh produce, to assist in
minimising waste
•
a mentor program for participants in the frontline
management program.
The occupational health and safety training
continues to impact on Franklins’ implementation
of its OH&S management systems. The new systems
include best practice implementation of strategies,
incorporating standard policies, procedures and risk
assessments. These processes are systematically
monitored and evaluated.
The implementation and success of OH&S strategies
are measured and the importance of and
accountability for OH&S issues within the
organisation are part of Franklin’s performance
management system. OH&S Manager Robert Snape
provides this assessment of the value of the OH&S
training:
There is a reduction in workers compensation
and public liability claims as a result of the
training provided by TAFE NSW- Sydney Institute,
and this has been a great return on investment
for the organisation.
Similarly, the workplace hygiene training has raised
the level of awareness of food safety across the
organisation, according to David Hastings, the Food
Safety Manager. He holds in high regard the
training provided by TAFE and points to the value of
that training:
The training is a key component to improved
implementation of food safety processes. The
Food Safety Standards across the organisation
have improved as a result of the training as
staff now understand why they need to follow
the processes and the implications.
Other tangible benefits of the partnership
In addition to management identifying returns on
their investment in training, positive feedback from
participants in their training programs to their
fellow employees has resulted in training being
delivered by Sydney Institute within Franklins since
2002. For instance, Sydney Institute continues to
deliver the frontline management program to
Franklins as part of its program of management
development. To date, over seventy middle
managers have participated in the program, with
high levels of satisfaction with the TAFE approach.
The business has benefitted directly, with many
participants of the frontline management program
subsequently promoted into management
positions.
Feedback from participants is not just provided to
Sydney Institute. Participants in the training
programs are encouraged to communicate with
Franklins’ senior management to validate and
implement suggested changes to processes and
procedures that arise from the training.
Additional tangible benefits of the partnership
between Sydney Institute and Franklins include
these:
•
Sydney Institute has delivered the occupational
health and safety consultation training to over
850 committee members and the supervisory
training to over fifty managers.
•
Workplace hygiene has been delivered to over
300 staff and continues to make a difference to
the organisation’s food hygiene standards.
Ongoing monitoring shows that the skill level of
staff across the organisation has increased in all
areas where training has occurred. With a
commitment to lifelong learning, Franklins
encourages participants in the training programs to
continue with further education in their own time.
Interview with Brigid McGrath,
Learning and Development Manager,
Franklins
How did your relationship start with Sydney Institute?
The Franklins relationship with Sydney Institute started back in early
2002, a period when Franklins had actually transitioned from old
Franklins to new Franklins. The old company had taken away all
intellectual property and we were basically starting from scratch.
So we went out to tender looking for a training provider to cover
courses such as Occupational Health and Safety consultation, Food
Hygiene and also traineeships, and TAFE came back at a very
competitive price and were also able to offer us flexible training
solutions.
What flexibility did you expect from TAFE?
In terms of flexibility particularly for our traineeships, we didn’t want to
just offer institution-based training. We wanted to incorporate
assessment and assignment with Franklins work so people could
actually implement what they were learning in the work place. This
would be a benefit for both the business and the student being
educated.
Were you looking for the benefits of training to show up in improved
productivity?
Definitely improved productivity but also moving the culture. When we
started with this business there was a culture of a ‘big stick’
management approach and we’re trying to change that into more of a
people focus. By running frontline management training through TAFE,
we’re now seeing that our future store managers are coming out quite
well rounded. They have a strategic way of thinking but they’re also
very aware of the requirement to build a team and to work with teams.
So you’re locating training within a learning and development
framework?
That’s correct, yes.
15
Case study 2. Building a learning organisation: Franklins and TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute
It’s not just training in terms of getting the qualification.
No, we like to see an input back into the business, which
means the business starts to go through that double-loop
learning and becomes a real learning organisation.
So one of the assessments that our trainees do is to
identify something that could be improved in the business
or a gap in the business, then come up with processes to
minimise that gap or improve our services.
And that’s part of the concept of building a learning
organisation where staff actually identify the issue and
then rectify it.
Each of our intakes that go through TAFE have been able to
come up with something quite different and as a business,
we’ve been able to implement their ideas.
So you’re now seeing a return from investing in training?
16
Yes, very much so - from the education of the students and
also from a changing business process.
And along the way, has the relationship with Sydney
Institute changed?
It has changed in that I’ve had a change of account
manager, Heather Roberts was originally my account
manager and now Gail Sullivan is. I’ve also had a change
in head teachers, but what I’ve noticed is that they do a
very good hand over. In building the relationship with
those new account managers they certainly get to know
our business, the constraints of our business and also what
we’re trying to build in terms of our business values.
How do the TAFE staff get to know your values?
It’s by getting to know the students, actually being
involved with our students, particularly from the teacher’s
point of view. And there seems to be very good
communication in TAFE between the teachers or facilitators
and the TAFE administration staff. And that information
[about our values] is passed through to all levels of TAFE.
The relationship with TAFE seems to be built on
sound strategies.
What is the strongest example of TAFE impacting on your
workforce development?
Yes. Before we start each traineeship program we
actually meet with the key players at TAFE - like
the account manager and the facilitator. We talk
through anything that the business is going
through at that particular time and how we could
maybe take that as a focus in the traineeship
program.
I think probably the biggest example is through the
traineeship programs because we have team members
coming in who are usually relatively young, and they really
grow through the TAFE program. At the end of a year-long
program, which includes TAFE plus Franklins work, they
actually graduate into an assistant store manager role, so it’s
really building a very good career path for the student, but
building depth in our business as well.
The other thing that we’ve been able to do is
ensure continuous improvement of the traineeship
programs. At the end of each program Franklins
undertakes a review of the program with the
students. We do that without having the TAFE
facilitator there so it gives the students a comfort
zone to actually give feedback on the TAFE
facilitator as well. As a result, we’ve changed the
structure of the program, we’ve selected different
modules in the program, so it’s continuously being
improved and it is a better program every time we
run it.
TAFE seems to be impacting more and more on
Franklins’ overall workforce development.
Definitely. For example, the TAFE teachers that run
that program really have a very good
understanding of our operational requirement. As a
result, the students that go through that program
are not just learning about the WorkCover
requirements, but certainly about Franklins’
requirements in occupational health and safety.
TAFE staff also allows our occupational health and
safety manager to come in and co-facilitate some
of those days.
With the food hygiene training, our food safety
manager co-facilitates the training and we can
certainly see growth and development of those
people in that area.
The students that come out of the traineeship program
actually talk in the language of a learning culture as well.
They talk about the learning organisation, and how they can
make that happen themselves.
They come out with a keenness to then develop other
people, whether that’s mentoring other people coming
through the traineeship program or, when they’re appointed
to a store, they really encourage their staff to go on it and
do further education themselves.
So you’ve got a virtuous cycle happening?
Yes, very much so. TAFE has had a real ability to get in and
know the business. A retail business has a lot of constraints
in that being a customer-facing business, you always need
enough staff on the floor at any given time, and then there
are wage constraints adding to that. And TAFE understands
the types of restrictions that we have. And I suppose as a
result TAFE has then educated our trainees in how to manage
those barriers that they may come up against.
Over the years, has TAFE improved its services?
I certainly think that TAFE has grown and developed in terms
of the services that they offer. They’re not just an
organisation that offers large-scale institution-based
training, they really do have business acumen and can build
very good relationships in business and find solutions that
will meet an organisations requirements.
A lot of other organisations don’t realise that TAFE has that
flexibility to offer.
Interview with Heather Roberts,
Client Relations Manager,
National Business, TAFE NSW –
Sydney Institute
How did TAFE’s relationship with Franklins commence?
Franklins came to us in 2002 and their initial need was for
training in OH&S and so we started delivering that training.
But then obviously as time has progressed, more and more
needs have developed, more workforce development needs
have come out.
Franklins training manager was very happy and comfortable
with the OH&S training that we started to deliver. They then
looked to us more as a partner that could work with their
organisation to try and develop their managers.
What led to you working with Franklins on management
development?
Obviously the retail industry has a huge turnover of staff and
a lot of them are quite young when they come into retail
management. They may have progressed up from working
on the shop floor and Franklins can see potential in those
people. So they put together a management development
program that was an internal program.
Franklins identified staff that they wanted to work with, and
then they came to us and asked how can TAFE work with us
to deliver the internal training that we want to put together
for our staff.
What led to the identification of frontline
management?
We identified that frontline management was
probably the best qualification that would provide
the skills that these staff needed. They wanted a
really practical course. They didn’t want anything
that was too theoretical, aimed at the theory of
leadership and management.
They wanted it to be quite practical so that their
young managers could actually put the things into
practice in their workplace. We made it so that the
training happened every six weeks so they’d come
back as a group and discuss all of the different
problems and issues that they were facing in their
stores around the state. Then they would go off
after being given a task to work on. They’d go back
into their workplace and implement it. That was
how the program worked.
So it wasn’t just theory based where they came
and sat in a classroom and we told them, this is
how management works. It was very much about
using their policies and procedures. The TAFE
trainer who started delivering the program became
very involved in Franklins and very involved with
the staff and would spend time out in the store
working with them and looking at the issues that
they had, trying to come up with different ways
they could deal with their issues.
It became a real double-loop learning, whereby
this program was delivered in the organisation
many times over and over again, and each time
we would be able to improve the program from
what we learnt from the participants from the
previous program.
So we weren’t just delivering a standard TAFE
frontline management qualification anymore. We
were definitely delivering a management
development program to assist Franklins’
workforce development, using all of their policies
and procedures.
The learning and development manager developed
a fantastic relationship with our trainer and they
have great respect for each other. Brigid always
praises the effort of our trainer very highly and
staff found the trainer to be quite hard but also
added a lot of value to the organisation.
It sounds as though TAFE has embedded itself in
Franklins.
We’re certainly embedded in the organisation. And
we feel quite confident that if another training
need arises, that Franklins would come to us as
their preferred provider or their provider of choice
to continue to develop their workforce.
Brigid McGrath, the learning and development
manager, has said many times of Glenda Phillips
who is the TAFE trainer who did the frontline
management, that she felt that Glenda went way
beyond the call of duty and that she took the time
to really understand Franklins’ business. And that’s
what really made a difference to the program:
participants felt that it was something that had
been tailored specifically for them and that our
trainer understood the issues that they were
facing.
17
CASE STUDY 3.
Taking the
workforce in a new
direction: Sydney
Water and TAFE
NSW – South
Western Sydney
Institute
18
Introducing Sydney Water
Sydney Water provides drinking water, recycled water,
waste water services and some stormwater services to
more than four million people in Sydney, the Illawarra
region and the Blue Mountains. Drinking water is
sourced from a network of dams managed by the
Sydney Catchment Authority, then treated and
delivered to customers’ homes and businesses by
Sydney Water.
Sydney Water is a statutory corporation wholly owned
by the New South Wales Government and has three
principal objectives: to protect public health, to protect
the environment and to be a successful business. It
employs more than 3,000 staff and has assets with a
replacement value of more than $20 billion. A capital
expenditure program of more than $1 billion was
planned for 2007-08.
Addressing Sydney Water’s needs
Sydney Water approached South Western Sydney
Institute (SWSI) in early 2005 to seek TAFE’s input into
developing a range of training programs, clarifying
competency frameworks and providing recognition of
prior learning (RPL) services, in order to strengthen the
organisation’s skills base.
A new manager had recently been appointed to
Sydney Water to look after organisational capability
and the development of appropriate training was high
on her agenda.
Left to Right, Malcolm Crabb, Sydney Water,
Terry Crotty, TAFE NSW , James Dummett,
Sydney Water
Sydney Water had engaged TAFE Institutes on a small
scale prior to 2005, but this was the first attempt by
Sydney Water and TAFE NSW to develop a long-term
relationship which would see training elevated to new
levels in the organisation, explains Terry Crotty,
Manager Training Services, South Western Sydney
Institute. The reasons for the elevation of training were
compelling, says Crotty:
Much of the need for the focus on training related to
the development of career paths and the building of
skills to replace some of the workforce who were due
to retire in the coming years. There was also a need to
broaden the number of staff who had expertise and
skills in a particular area and to develop a range of
career paths following entry into the organisation.
Sydney Water staff are spread throughout the Sydney and
Wollongong areas, from the head office in the CBD,
though to Warragamba, Birrong, Yagoona, West Ryde,
Guildford, Prospect and others. The distributed nature of
the workforce requires TAFE to deliver at sites ranging
from dams and storage facilities, through to treatment
facilities and engineering centres.
Innovative TAFE responses
TAFE NSW responds innovatively to Sydney Water’s many
needs, evidenced by its approach to the four different
initiatives described below.
Competency-based framework
The first project involved TAFE establishing a competencybased framework for job functions. Sydney Water wanted
to identify one or more Training Package that best
reflected the nature of work undertaken in each of their
business units. Initially, four business units were selected
for assessment: Asset Solutions, Water Services, Treatment
Operations, and Customer and Community Relations.
One of the aims of the project was to outline a training
program for staff at various levels in each of these units,
with training expected to be delivered across Certificate
III, IV and Diploma levels. The plan was that staff would
be given access to recognition of prior learning (RPL) and
provided with gap training to help them develop
competencies to the level required for their roles.
A major benefit to Sydney Water of the project was the
identification of a core set of capabilities that staff
ideally would possess either before they enter a job or
soon after. The outcomes of this project included the
development of a series of competency-based
frameworks that were linked to position descriptions in
the four business units, including in the mechanical
trades, as described below.
Project management
Mechanical competencies
More than fifty staff volunteered to take part in the
process. Even though all of the staff possessed one or
more undergraduate degrees in various fields, “they
all realised the benefit of being able to demonstrate
the application of those skills in the workplace,” says
Crotty.
The development of mechanical competencies has
taken longer than expected because of the very real
and genuine engagement in the process of staff and
unions, says TAFE’s Crotty.
Both staff and unions have been active in the
development of the competencies and have
generally seen the competency development as
beneficial to Sydney Water. Competencies in these
areas continue to be discussed between TAFE,
Sydney Water and its staff and union
representatives. The competencies are close to
formal sign-off by all parties.
Short course training - consolidation of linkages with
TAFE
Prior to this partnership with South Western Sydney
Institute, Sydney Water used a number of TAFE
Institutes to deliver their training in short courses.
These courses included the delivery of training in fire
warden, CPR, confined spaces, first aid, fall arrest, safe
work at heights and incident investigation.
Sydney Water asked if the contact with TAFE NSW could
be consolidated within the South Western Sydney
Institute (SWSI) and if SWSI could engage other
Institutes to deliver training as required. “This has
worked reasonably well given a number of small
teething problems, mainly on the TAFE side”, says
Crotty.
Sydney Water employs a large number of staff who
undertake project management on a day-to-day basis.
Sydney Water was keen to have their existing skills
recognised, so staff from entry level through to
management level in the Asset Solutions business
were asked to participate in the formal recognition of
prior learning (RPL) process.
For many it was the first time they had been
asked to collect, prepare and present a portfolio of
evidence to an assessor. The majority of staff
found it to be a very valuable way of confirming
they had done the necessary activity, and to the
extent required, for them to gain either the
Certificate IV, or Diploma or Advanced Diploma in
Project Management.
This initiative is proving very successful, says Crotty:
“So much so that Sydney Water has commenced
offering the Project Management RPL framework to
other business units in the organisation.”
Internal cooperation
Following the introduction of the new Water Training
Package, it transpired that the expertise in delivering
specialist competencies was located at several TAFE
Institutes, principally the regional institutes. Hence,
SWSI now collaborates with these Institutes so that the
TAFE staff who are able to deliver specialist
competencies are available to deliver them to Sydney
Water.
In addition to business development staff from TAFE, head
teachers are engaged actively in the process of defining
competencies, developing training programs and delivering
them. Head teachers attend meetings with Sydney Water and
they are able to openly offer their advice, views and guidance
on their specialist areas. “More often than not, Sydney Water
has taken on board the advice of our head teachers and
incorporated their suggestions into program development,” says
Crotty.
Workforce development benefits
Sydney Water clearly sees training and skills development as
key factors in being able to achieve its corporate objectives, and
TAFE delivers the majority of training within Sydney Water.
Anecdotally and through the evaluation forms completed by
participants, staff have reacted very favourably to the training
programs delivered by TAFE. They see the training as being
necessary for their current job and giving them skills to progress
further in the organisation and even beyond Sydney Water.
Many rate the RPL process provided by TAFE as very beneficial.
Beforehand, most were not really clear about how it was going
to be conducted, how they would collect and present the
evidence and, importantly for many, how much the process
would impact on their busy jobs. When they realised that the
RPL process did not have an onerous impact on their day, it
became part of their day-to-day activities. They collected the
evidence while they were performing their jobs.
“The staff saw the process and the scrutiny it provided as a very
robust way to gain accreditation for the skills they possessed
and for them to be recognised for these skills,” reports Crotty.
Other outcomes for client
Sydney Water is pleased with the ability for a TAFE Institute to
set up and coordinate a one-stop shop for it to access all the
TAFE training they require. “I suspect there was some initial
concern that we couldn’t make it happen but the process has
worked reasonably well,” says Crotty.
19
Case study 3. Taking the workforce in a new direction: Sydney Water and TAFE NSW – South Western Sydney Institute
Also Sydney Water has been able to see the
breadth of capability of TAFE NSW. There were
some traditional views about what TAFE could
do, that is, limited to the trades areas, but this
has been replaced by a quite positive view of
how TAFE can be one of their major suppliers for
training. And TAFE delivery to Sydney Water is
expected to broaden into more white-collar, soft
skills training in coming years.
TAFE staff capabilities
Sydney Water is impressed with the quality and
knowledge of the TAFE staff who have been
introduced to their business, notes Crotty.
20
They have been pleased with the approach and
diligence that the teachers have taken to the
RPL processes, the delivery of training and the
assistance given to those staff who may have
needed extra tuition or support.
The opportunity for a broader range of TAFE
teachers to deliver in a corporate context is also
beneficial, says Crotty:
The dynamics of a corporate group is often very
different to the dynamics of a mainstream TAFE
classroom. Often a senior manager is
participating in the group and the teachers
enjoy the interaction and extent of the group
engagement in the learning and development.
The experience with delivering to commercial
corporate clients certainly gives the teachers
greater confidence in their roles and certainly
benefits their students in the mainstream
courses.
TAFE Institutes’ capacity
While South Western Sydney Institute is the lead
Institute in delivering training to Sydney Water,
there are many examples of cross-Institute
engagement in the delivery of services to Sydney
Water. For instance, Western Sydney Institute
delivers the project management qualifications
through the RPL process and Hunter Institute
delivers specialist safety training.
With the recent release of the Water Industry
Training Package, Crotty believes there will be
much greater scope for inter-Institute delivery, as
the specialist skills for delivering these
competencies reside in several of the regional
Institutes.
Where other Institutes have been engaged to
deliver, we set up a one-stop shop in that Institute
for our liaison. That is, just as Sydney Water wishes
to have a single point of contact in TAFE, then so
SWSI wants a single point of contact in other
Institutes when they are engaged.
Interview with James
Dummett, Technical
Training Manager, Sydney
Water
Why do you use TAFE for much of your training?
What we’re finding more and more is we need a
provider that can give us a broader range of skills
and knowledge than smaller providers can provide.
What extras do you look to from TAFE?
If it’s just a matter of organising a course, then
that’s a very simple thing for any of us to do at
Sydney Water: if we’ve got a need we’ll find a
trainer and put on the course. I need TAFE people
to be part of a strategy to help us with the big
picture, to take our workforce in a different
direction. Just running a course is a very simple
thing to do.
So you need TAFE to understand your business?
Yes, to understand the business and understand
what we’re trying to do. I said to Terry Crotty from
TAFE that this isn’t about just getting a shopping
list of courses from us and booking them in
monthly or fortnightly. I can find lots of training
providers who do that. I need someone that can
join in discussions about some skills development
and provide capability building programs, which
are not just about training.
In a lot of the TAFE programs, less and less of their
work with us now is face-to-face classroom
training. It’s more about one-on-one mentoring,
coaching, on-the-job learning programs and in
many ways the business has got much better as
TAFE has learned to be more flexible.
How has your relationship with TAFE changed?
Is TAFE now coming more into your corral?
We’ve become more flexible too. I come from a
training background outside of Sydney Water, and I
know that sometimes the client wants more than is
reasonable. Sometimes what the client wants is not
always the best solution and I’m happy to listen to that
response from TAFE. I’ve seen the relationship progress
from the point where there was some resistance to
TAFE because it is seen not to be able to be as flexible
as we needed it.
We’re meeting half way and certainly I feel more
satisfied that I’m getting what I want now. TAFE is
being much more accommodating, not just in the
course content but in the course delivery and
structure.
I think Terry Crotty and the other TAFE people have
helped that happen here. They did it by meeting with
our people regularly, talking through things, then
coming to us and us going to them, then coming out to
see us again. For instance, if we’re doing a project on
water treatment and sewerage treatment plants, they
come out to see us: not just the trainers but the guys
from TAFE who are developing the relationship with
Sydney Water.
So TAFE is starting to understand that you’re looking
for more from them than the training?
I want them to move, not drive me into their corral. I
want them to come into my corral. But there are
always compromises.
Initially there was a tendency for TAFE to say ‘well this
is how we’ve always done it’, but working very closely
with a TAFE assessor and their business managers,
we’ve actually got a much more flexible program. TAFE
were used to group work and we said ‘no, we want a
lot more on-the-job training, a lot more one-on-one
training’.
You seem happy with the direction of the
partnership.
We have a great relationship of trust now. There are
still lots and lots of areas at Sydney Water that
haven’t been touched. We’ve got the asset planners
whom we really haven’t worked on. We’ve got the
trade waste people. But now we’ve established a
process and we’ve established that we do have a lot
in common with TAFE, it’s a lot simpler to go and run
a trade based program because we have spent the
time getting this process right. It will be a lot simpler
in future.
So yes, I would expect the relationship with TAFE will
expand and mainly because the businesses like it, not
because I’m pushing it. They see it as very easy.
And I know that when I put any new programs
together, TAFE will understand what I’m doing.
21
CASE STUDY 4.
Raising the
productivity of new
staff: BlueScope
Steel and TAFE NSW
– Western Sydney
Institute
Introducing BlueScope Steel
BlueScope Steel is the leading steel company in
Australia and New Zealand, supplying a large
percentage of all flat steel products sold in those two
countries. The company’s products play a large part in
many people’s everyday lives, as components in
suburban houses, landmark buildings and structures,
and in the manufacturing industry.
BlueScope Steel’s strengths include low-cost
operations, strong brands, leading domestic market
positions, and a growing presence in the markets of
Asia. It supplies customers in Australia, New Zealand,
Asia, the US, Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific and
elsewhere with purpose-designed products backed by
comprehensive after-sales service, technical support,
and transport and logistics capability.
Looking ahead, BlueScope Steel is focused on
enhancing its manufacturing excellence, further
reducing costs, maintaining value in its existing
businesses and pursuing selected growth
opportunities, particularly in the company’s primary
markets of Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
22
Addressing BlueScope’s needs
In 2007 BlueScope Steel started operating a new stateof-the-art paint line in Western Sydney, with an
emphasis on building a high performance work culture
incorporating a strong commitment to safety, the
environment, employee engagement, quality
production and service delivery.
Left, Geoff Tye, TAFE NSW
Right, Norm Rodgers, BlueScope Steel
BlueScope has an impressive approach to the training
and development of their employees. It uses a
dynamic ‘matrix’ training system that allows it to
proactively initiate opportunities for its staff. Hence,
the company wanted to bring an effective and flexible
approach to training to the new paint line operation in
Western Sydney.
Staff from TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Institute were
invited to visit the newly-built Western Sydney facility to
examine BlueScope’s training and development and to
provide feedback on training and development
opportunities available to the BlueScope staff from TAFE.
The TAFE training consultant reviewed the BlueScope’s
unique training matrix with BlueScope’s Human Relations
Advisor and opportunities were identified to upskill
operators in hydraulics and pneumatics, competitive
manufacturing, adult apprenticeships and dual trades.
Innovative TAFE responses
BlueScope Steel is focused on enhancing its
manufacturing excellence, reducing costs and maintaining
value for customers. Competitive manufacturing training
was identified as an ideal approach to support employees
to achieve these goals, says Whitney Rousham, Director,
National Commercial Business, TAFE NSW – Western
Sydney Institute (WSI):
Western Sydney Institute was invited to deliver
training in competitive manufacturing because of its
ability to customise training aligned with BlueScope’s
company objectives. WSI teachers draw on a wealth of
experience in manufacturing industry and use an
integrated and flexible approach to training and
assessing.
By working with the client to identify business objectives,
training can be tailored to support in-house initiatives,
says Rousham. “The training projects enable students to
implement activities that provide real business
outcomes.”
Western Sydney Institute later placed a TAFE training
consultant, Geoff Tye, on site to review training and
development needs from a whole of business
perspective. From this vantage point, the consultant
was able to make suggestions about opportunities and
to coordinate the appropriate responses from a range of
TAFE industry areas.
Initial program in hydraulics and pneumatics
The initial program at BlueScope involves training in
hydraulics and pneumatics skills for the manufacturing
team members with existing mechanical trade
qualifications. The target group of maintenance fitters is
responsible for checking and adjusting hydraulic
systems and fault-finding, rectifying, overhauling and
recommissioning hydraulic systems. The BlueScope
plant requires mechanical tradespeople to have a
strong technical understanding in these areas due to
the complexity of the equipment in use. An analysis
identified that a skill deficiency existed, as team
members are now required to demonstrate and apply
both operator and maintenance skills, in line with
BlueScope’s manufacturing team model.
WSI and BlueScope assessed the existing manufacturing
team members with a trade qualification to identify
their level of knowledge in hydraulics and pneumatics,
with a view to customising training to suit specific
company operation needs. The program was designed
in consultation with BlueScope’s Manufacturing
Manager and tailored to meet BlueScope’s
requirements.
The training pathway chosen was to recognise the prior
learning of all participants through on-the-job
assessments followed by face-to-face training in the
following areas: Interpret Technical Drawing; Maintain
Hydraulic System Components; and Maintain Hydraulic
Systems.
To date, the training has involved training for small
groups, to minimise disruption to ongoing production
processes at the site, across the different shifts.
Training is conducted at Mount Druitt College’s
purpose-built hydraulics and pneumatics workshop
and will continue until approximately twenty staff are
trained. As each small group completes the training,
the TAFE teacher follows up with a session at
BlueScope’s facility to consolidate and confirm the
transfer of learning to equipment and processes in the
workplace.
Workforce development benefits
The development of these technical competencies
helped BlueScope’s manufacturing team to effectively
apply safe and high quality asset management
processes to its hydraulic and pneumatic systems. As a
result of this training, employees have the skills and
knowledge to appropriately maintain the advanced
systems at the Western Sydney plant.
In the field of competitive manufacturing, a pilot
program was planned by WSI in collaboration with
BlueScope. This will take a group of ten employees
through a program that is team based and focuses on
developing skills that will improve bottom-line
business performance. The program typically results in
improved culture, problem solving skills, waste
reduction and improved company competitiveness.
The BlueScope facility in Western Sydney and the
training program are both in the early stages of
implementation, so the opportunity to impact on the
operation of the site is greatest now, says Rousham.
By implementing progressive processes such as a
training culture and competitive manufacturing the
organisation will be able to set structures and
standards that will support its sustainability.
TAFE staff capabilities
In providing a high quality of customised service to BlueScope,
the team at Mount Druitt College within Western Sydney
Institute demonstrated capabilities in engineering, strategic
planning, education, management, customer service and
competitive manufacturing. “Our ability to draw from a range
of employees with specialist skills ensures that the customer
needs are identified and met,” says Rousham.
TAFE Institute capacities
TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Institute is well regarded for its
workplace training approach, notes Rousham.
The Institute is building on this reputation and experience
to place key Institute staff alongside enterprise HR and/or
Training Managers in companies such as BlueScope, to help
map the skill levels of workers and to identify training gaps
on a whole of business approach.
Apart from BlueScope Steel, the Institute has taken similar
approaches with clients including Cumberland Industries
Limited, Kurrajong Kitchens, Baker and Provan, National Foods
and Australian Lift Components.
This experience assists the Institute to plan for its own
training skills requirements - to better enable the
recruitment and rostering of appropriate staff - as well as
working closely with enterprises to plan and structure their
workforce development needs.
The Institute’s experience in workplace training means that it
has the capacity to respond quickly to an enterprise’s needs
and is able to provide a cost-effective solution, says Rousham.
By analysing the various forms of skills training required,
the Institute can identify and target a range of funding
sources including state, federal and local funds to meet the
company’s training needs. In this way the company’s
training overheads are minimised or timed in such a way
as to reduce their cost burden.
23
Case study 4. Raising the productivity of new staff: BlueScope Steel and TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Institute
Interview with Norm
Rodgers, Reliability
Manager for West Sydney
Service Centre, BlueScope
How did the relationship start with TAFE?
There was a need to up-skill our manufacturing
personnel in hydraulics and pneumatics, starting
with trades employees. We had our initial meeting
with Geoff Tye from TAFE on the need to develop a
course which suited our shiftwork pattern and our
base of operation. Geoff was quite responsive in
coming up with a course, a teacher and a method
of accreditation that solved our need.
24
We are now looking at broader items such as
welding and the core skills, and training our
employees through a process that gives us
confirmation of their skill ability as an essential
part of our people strategy. We are also looking
now at some of the Certificate Level III and IV
manufacturing qualifications as well.
TAFE has come through one cycle of the
relationship and you’re looking for more now?
Yes, we definitely are. Our manufacturing model is
quite unique. We have a mixture of trade, nontrade and degree people on shift, and our process
is quite demanding. We are looking to use the TAFE
system as part of our people management strategy
to ensure that BlueScope Steel in Western Sydney
has the ability to be ahead of our competitors in
the market.
So TAFE is important to your fundamental
business aims?
Absolutely, yes.
And you’re looking for greater productivity from
your staff?
Yes, productivity is an outcome sought, however it
is not the sole aspect of our operations. Greater
understanding of the working of our business and
their ability to impact on the bottom line are also
aspects of the training that we are seeking to
ensure we have a sustainable business going
forward.
We are seeking to develop the skills base and the
need of our supplier to work in with the shift
patterns and operations is paramount. Our goal
has been to work with a supplier that can provide
alternatives to meet our requirements with short
flexible courses that give our manufacturing
personnel tangible skills that they can relate
straight to the line around continuous
improvement, process control, reliability processes,
trade skills and also the core manufacturing skills.
So TAFE’s really had to get to know your business
in terms of the different jobs that are required
and where improvements can occur?
Yes. It’s at the early stages and to meet our initial
needs we actually configured the course around
our own hydraulic equipment for the first three or
four cycles of people that have been through.
Are you comfortable that TAFE understands your
business to the extent that they can add value as
an organisation?
Yes, we are in the early stages of our relationship
and TAFE has demonstrated their efficiency and
productivity. We are in this for the long haul and
I’m happy with how the relationship is developing
in these early stages and the relationship we’re
developing.
You’re very focused on up-skilling your people.
Yes. One of our core values at BlueScope Steel is that our
people are our strength, so the training and up-skilling of
our people is building on that philosophy.
What do you look for in terms of productivity as an
outcome of the training? Doing things quickly, fewer
accidents?
There is always a bottom line requirement and that is
reduced manufacturing costs and this is very measureable.
There is another aspect however and one we touched on
earlier and that is about ‘Our People are Our Strength’:
engaging people in their personal development whether it
is technical or soft skills is fundamental to our success. This
is an enabling strategy to ensure we have low
manufacturing costs because people can develop their skill
set so that irrespective of their role on site they have the
necessary training to make a positive contribution to the
business.
Our goal is to ensure we have the requisite skill set on shift
to avert safety and environmental issues, keep the
customers supplied with high quality products and service,
keep the plant reliable, and build effective teamwork.
It’s about continuous improvement and understanding the
skills and requirements to support that.
Are there any other benefits that you are aware of from
the input from TAFE?
Apart from the obvious benefits that our people have
development opportunities, the turnover of people on our
site is very low. We expect that once we get more of these
programs established, we’ll have a reduced turnover
because we are fulfilling employees’ aspirations in terms of
learning and skills development.
Any other comments?
I’m very happy with the relationship that we’re forming
with TAFE and really looking forward to going further and
getting more integrated with TAFE at our Western Sydney
facility.
Interview with Whitney
Rousham, Director, National
Commercial Business, and
Geoff Tye, Training Consultant,
TAFE NSW – Western Sydney
Institute
How did the BlueScope program then unfold?
Geoff, could you explain how the BlueScope
opportunity arose?
We identified some funding for them, which is all part of the
service, and then we pre-assessed the staff. The preassessment was to see what their current skills were, because
most of these staff were new to the company and the plant.
It is a fledgling sort of a relationship because it’s a new
plant there, it’s a green-fields space that they’ve taken
up. They arrived at Erskine Park and built this gigantic
facility where they produce COLORBOND® steel products
and then transport it to other facilities.
As they’re employing new staff, we went to the
company and said, ‘look we want to add value to your
business, and we can do that through competitive
manufacturing training’. But when we did the
negotiating and organising the training, we made a
point to say, ‘look we want to attack any business
improvement ideas that you’ve got that will
legitimately fit into a training program’. So we can
target projects within the training that satisfy our
needs for gaining evidence to complete those
qualifications but the training really attacks business
improvement activity.
In the area of competitive manufacturing, Whitney offered
BlueScope the services of our senior consulting person. She
went out to the company and spent time going through their
skills matrix and the company’s needs. And she helped them
with a couple of suggestions for training and one of these was
competitive manufacturing. They wanted to be assured that
their new staff in this new plant had terrific skills in hydraulics
and pneumatics because they had giant machines. It was a
major OH&S concern of theirs.
What is happening now?
We’re doing small group training with hydraulics and
pneumatics. And at the completion of that we will go back to
the plant at Erskine Park and make sure that those skills that
they’ve learnt at TAFE are transposed correctly to the
machinery and equipment out there. That’s an add-on to
confirm that the training is okay for the company needs.
Overall, why do you think BlueScope selected TAFE?
They selected us because we weren’t offering an off-the-shelf
product that was a lock-step approach. All the time we’ve
insisted that we look at business improvement activities there,
and value adding. It’s our consistent approach with them.
Whitney, what approach to workforce development do you
bring to BlueScope?
Our view is that workforce development is about productivity
improvement. Why do companies like BlueScope undertake
workforce development? Is it because they want their
workforce to be better? Yes. Why do they want their workforce
to be better? Because they want better productivity, greater
efficiencies, a better bottom line. And that’s what we mean
when we talk about workforce development.
What then do you talk about to clients like
BlueScope?
We find we might be talking to clients about things
like supply chain management. We might talk to
them about implementing change management,
we might talk to them about their manufacturing
or business line systems and those sorts of things.
We’re gearing ourselves up to the point where we
can actually go into companies, and do a health
check analysis of their various systems, and then
give them an idea of how they might go about
improving those systems to improve their
productivity.
What is new in your approach to BlueScope and
other clients?
Some of that is about regular training and skills
gap analysis but a lot of it might be about how
you go about implementing for example visual
management systems in your company. How can
we work with you to make sure that the job
descriptions of your various employers and key
staff and management are indeed in line with
what the company’s trying to achieve?
We’re actually moving into that whole business
consulting area. Most of that is based on a training
and mentoring approach, but we’re certainly
broadening out this idea that workforce
development is more than just ‘we’ll go and teach
some of your people how to do some new things’.
25
CASE STUDY 5.
Increasing the
confidence of
employees from a
non-English speaking
background: Cochlear
and TAFE NSW –
Northern Sydney
Institute
Introducing Cochlear
Cochlear Ltd is the global leader in implantable devices
for the hearing impaired. Over the past 25 years it has
grown to achieve over 70% of the global market share
in implants for sensorineural hearing loss. Over
100,000 people in over one hundred countries have
received Cochlear’s bone anchored hearing implants
(BAHA) for conductive hearing loss, mixed losses and
single-sided deafness.
Cochlear is an Australian company with 1,800
employees and operations in twenty countries. It has
over 400 employees involved in manufacturing at its
headquarters in Lane Cove in Sydney, and most of
these employees are from a non-English speaking
background.
Addressing Cochlear’s needs
Discussions between Cochlear and TAFE NSW – Northern
Sydney Institute commenced at the end of 2005 when
Cochlear sought to provide in-house training in English
language and communication to its manufacturing
staff.
26
Cochlear recognised that such training would increase
efficiency on the manufacturing floor, improve
communication between manufacturing staff and their
team leaders and managers and generally increase
workforce capability and confidence on the shop floor.
Innovative TAFE responses
Russell Scott, TAFE NSW
TAFE NSW – Northern Sydney Institute assisted Cochlear
in applying to the Department of Education Science
and Technology (DEST, now DEEWR) for funding
through the Workplace English Language and Literacy
(WELL) program and this funding covered 75% of the
costs of the training. Cochlear was required to pay the
remaining 25% and to release staff from duties to
attend the training.
Training was provided by teachers from North Sydney and
Meadowbank Colleges and took place at Cochlear’s
premises at Lane Cove. A total of one hundred employees
received two hours of training per week for eighteen
weeks in the first half of 2006, then the program was
repeated for a further one hundred employees in the
second half of that year. The employees were enrolled in
eight units from Certificate II in Engineering Production:
units which were related to communication. The overall
program was a recipient of a TAFE NSW Quality Award at
the end of 2006.
External partnering
As with all WELL programs, a commercial relationship was
established between Northern Sydney Institute and
Cochlear Ltd and also between Cochlear Ltd and DEST.
Northern Sydney Institute assisted Cochlear with the initial
funding application and with the various compliance
reports associated with the program.
Internal TAFE co-operation
The program was managed by the Northern Sydney
Institute WELL co-ordinator with the support of education
officers who supervised the invoicing and reporting.
Teachers were provided by the Access and General
Education Business line of the Institute. Liaison also
occurred with the Industry and Environment Business Line
of the Institute, as this Line oversees the delivery of the
Certificate II in Engineering Production.
The teachers delivering the program were responsible for
creating appropriate resources to meet the needs of the
Cochlear employees. This customisation of resources was
conducted under the supervision of their head teachers at
Meadowbank and North Sydney Colleges.
Workforce development benefits
Cochlear was comfortable collaborating with
Northern Sydney Institute because of TAFE’s
reputation for quality educational provision and
teacher experience. Cochlear staff also
appreciated the assistance in negotiating
funding and with the ongoing reporting.
Through the relationship, two further non-WELL
commercial programs were provided by
Northern Sydney Institute and conducted inhouse at Cochlear, one in 2007 and one in
2008. In addition, a new WELL program was
conducted there in 2008.
Interview with Meenakshi
Aggarwal, Production
Training Manager, Cochlear
How did the relationship with TAFE start?
In a nutshell it started when we made a rather
difficult decision, a business decision to make massive
changes and improvements in manufacturing at the
Cochlear manufacturing facility here in Sydney,
through a program called ‘Making Manufacturing
Easier’.
Essentially this program was about the
implementation of lean manufacturing. When we
decided to do that a huge need came up to up-skill
the workforce in their understanding of workplace
English. We did research and got to know about the
WELL (Workplace English Language and Literacy)
program and that’s when we brought TAFE in to help
us to create the program as well as facilitate it and
manage the whole activity.
We were looking at putting at least 200 employees
through the program in the first round, which meant
huge logistics and coordination with a number of
people including internal participants, their
managers, TAFE and the government agency DEST.
That’s where it all started.
Why did you select TAFE?
The decision to go with TAFE was straightforward for
us primarily because we were looking for a provider
who had the scalability, who would be able to sustain
a project which was that size, and who would be able
to handle complexities such as managing shift work
and being flexible with organising classes at times
which would be appropriate for the shift workers.
As TAFE has a credibility in the market, it was much easier for us to sell
the program to our workers and encourage them to go through the
program, as long as the name TAFE was associated with it.
Were you happy with the initial TAFE program in 2006?
We were very happy with the program. The TAFE teachers that were
assigned to us were absolutely fantastic and in fact a lot of our
workforce still comes to us and talks about those teachers and says ‘Oh,
when are they coming back and have you heard from Beth?’ That is a
positive response.
So there was a pause in 2007 and it started again in 2008?
Yes, because we put close to 200 people through the program in the
first round. The first program took a long time to finish because of the
logistics of the whole thing. In 2007 we decided to go with another
batch of the WELL program, but we decided to start the batches in 2008
because we had other big initiatives being launched in manufacturing
at that time and it was hard for us to make our workforce available for
WELL training. So we made a commitment with TAFE back in 2007 to
run the programs in 2008.
What’s happened in 2008?
The program is currently underway and we had committed to put sixty
more people through the program. Four out of the five batches of the
WELL program in 2008 have already completed their classes, and the
fifth batch is to start soon.
What were some of the approaches taken by TAFE that you were
pleased with?
I think it was particularly easy working with TAFE because of their
familiarity with how the government machinery works with regard to
the funding. It was easy also because of TAFE’s confidence with regard
to customising the program and meeting our needs and incorporating
some of our internal systems forms and formats into the program.
27
Case study 5. Increasing the confidence of employees from a non-English speaking background: Cochlear and TAFE NSW – Northern Sydney Institute
It was quite seamless. Immediately after every
meeting that we had with TAFE it was quite clear
to us that they would go back and come up with
the solutions and come back to us with a couple of
options. So internal resourcing for us from that
perspective has been pretty easy. We haven’t really
had to dedicate anybody internally to coordinating
the WELL program, to working through the detail of
it, because we’ve just given it to TAFE and they’ve
come up with what we wanted and sorted out our
needs. It was just easy, as opposed to a lot of
other experiences I’ve had with certain other
providers where the providers expect us to do all
the ground work.
To what extent did TAFE get to know your
business?
28
To quite a large extent. I think the teachers have
been quite fantastic. They’ve been very
collaborative. They came to our premises, they had
a look at the work environment and studied what
people did at Cochlear. As they started delivering
the first WELL program, their knowledge of the
workforce started increasing and in fact the second
time that we conducted the WELL program, which
was earlier this year, our preference was to just get
the same teachers back, and TAFE were very happy
to support us with that.
TAFE was very, very supportive and they made
those teachers available. Staff have been happy
with their teachers and their understanding of the
work they do. Staff are happy with the teachers’
appreciation of Cochlear and the teachers’ ability
to connect with the workforce by understanding
their jobs better.
How else did the TAFE staff support your people?
I’ve sometimes had TAFE teachers call me and ask
about specific things like ‘what is this form that
you use, because it came up in the class?’, or ‘can
you tell me a little more about it?’ This has been
great because then you understand that the
teachers are engaged and want to give the right
information to their students.
What are some of the benefits of the WELL
program and what TAFE’s contributed?
I think the most important benefit for us has been
the confidence that the program has provided to
our people in their ability to communicate.
Cochlear has a very large multicultural workforce
and, for most people who work here, English is not
a first language. So you can understand there have
been huge cultural challenges that we’ve faced in
the past. With the WELL program the confidence
level of staff and how they’re communicating in a
team of different cultures has risen. Most
importantly it’s given our workforce the message
that Cochlear really cares, and that we’re happy to
invest in the overall development of their
communication skills.
Have you noticed other benefits like productivity
improvements?
Being a medical device company, one of the
inherent requirements we have is for workers to
follow work instructions, and we have fairly
complex work instructions because of the nature of
the product that we manufacture and the
importance of getting it right. We have seen a
marginal difference in people’s understanding of,
or ability to heed, work instructions, which is a
positive outcome for us.
Also there are technical terms used in work
instructions which are science and physics
technicalities and the program has given people an
opportunity to clarify meanings of certain words
which they never understood before and were too
shy to ask about, which I think is also important.
It sounds like a very small outcome but for us it’s
very important to have those conversations with
people and to hear back from them that they’re
not able to understand something they’re expected
to follow. That’s been a fairly positive outcome as
well.
Is there anything else that you’d like to comment
on?
Because of the success of the WELL program in the
first round, we had a lot of requests internally from
staff for more opportunities to enhance their
English language skills. So we decided to take that
forward and develop another program with TAFE
which was an advanced English program, which
was meant for people who had already been
through the WELL program. This was just a step
forward and not a government funded program: it
was a totally company-funded initiative.
I think that was another reinforcement that what
TAFE had done, and the program they had set up,
was effective.
Interview with Russell Scott,
Manager Business Line Access
and General Education and
Maria Johnson, Languages
Teacher, TAFE NSW – Northern
Sydney Institute
Russell, are you offering Cochlear more than just
simply training?
On the surface, the product that we are offering is
training. But in terms of value add, this training leads
to an increase in their efficiency and workforce
capability.
What we’re also offering them is the relationship with
us. Quite clearly we’re providing them with training
and all the spin-offs that come from that. They’re
providing us with commercial revenue obviously. But I
think that what we’re providing them is an opening to
lots of other possibilities.
Having arrived there with the WELL program, then they
feel comfortable to say to us ‘well, can you also do
other things for us as well?’ They know that we’re not
just about language training, and that we’ve got
products that are outside my area of expertise but that
I can refer them onto other people in our organisation
who can help them.
Maria, would you like to comment on what Russell’s
just said?
What I can add is that part of that contract was to
deliver communication modules from a specific Training
Package. What in fact I was requested to do by the
Cochlear people whom we dealt with was to tailor a
program to fit their needs.
From the Training Package modules they asked us to
add specific elements that they wanted included in
the program and I was able to then develop a
program, tailoring the requirements of the Training
Package, mapping it and matching it to the
requirements of the organisation, which I think is very
unique and very worthwhile for them. They got a
tailor-made program to fit their needs.
Maria, what were they looking for, in asking for a
tailor-made program?
If you look at the language of most Training Packages
- say for example, the communication modules we
were required to work with from the Metals and
Engineering Training Package - if you look at the
language of these Packages, they are fairly generic
and to be used across a range of manufacturing
situations. But Cochlear has specific needs in that they
have converted to a team-based manufacturing
process. So they wanted their employees to have the
language and the oral skills and confidence to
participate in team-based work.
What sort of tailoring did you do?
I looked at the requirements of the Training Package
that would say something generic like, for example,
‘can work with others in a manufacturing or
engineering environment’. That’s pretty general and
open-ended. I interpreted that to mean the need for
communication skills for developing relationships
within the team, to make requests, to ask for
clarification. It was my job to tailor the Cochlear
language needs to that generic statement ‘can work
with others’.
Maria, what sort of feedback did you get from
Cochlear about what you did?
The best feedback I got was that they felt the
students were different after the training in that
they were more confident, they spoke up more at
meetings, they participated more in their training.
That’s been gratifying.
Cochlear wanted an active participation in the
workplace from their electronic assemblers, in
terms of expressing opinions they may have. They
wanted that active participation and they felt the
students were more confident in doing so, after the
program.
Maria, what sort of different capabilities do you
need to work with Cochlear?
It is a unique environment, very different to the
classroom, so I have to be aware of the
requirements of any employee in Cochlear and
where I can and can’t go. I had to sign a
confidentiality agreement to be allowed to work
there. There are a lot of more formal requirements
of me in that regard.
Also, I have to be a little bit more of a self-starter
and independent to work in a workplace. I have to
come with all my session notes, fully prepared.
More independent than I am at college, because I
don’t have all the support at Cochlear that I have
here. My role is to meet the needs of not only the
workers but also of the organisation.
29
CASE STUDY 6.
Continually skilling
new employees:
Northparkes Mines
and TAFE NSW –
Western Institute
Introducing Northparkes Mines
Northparkes Mines (NPM) is a copper-gold mine 27
kilometres from Parkes in central western NSW. The
mine is a joint venture between Rio Tinto and the
Sumitomo Group. It comprises an open-cut operation,
an underground block cave and an ore processing plant
and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.
There are around 270 permanent employees at NPM.
In addition there are approximately 600 contractors
associated with the mine, with up to 200 of these
working onsite at any time.
NPM has created a centre of excellence in underground
block cave mining and mineral processing, achieved in
part through the significance it attaches to workplace
training and assessment.
Some challenges associated with providing training for
NPM specifically, and mining enterprises generally,
include the following: productivity requirements
cannot be negatively impacted upon by training
activities; and the twenty-four hour round-the-clock
operation means training and assessing need to be
delivered around rotating shifts.
30
Addressing Northparkes Mines’ needs
Northparkes Mines clarified over a decade ago that it
required training across a broad range of subject areas,
but decided not to become a registered training
organisation (RTO) due to the complexities and costs
associated with complying with Australian Quality
Training Framework (AQTF) requirements.
Top Left, Mark Ritchie, Northparkes Mines
Since 1994 TAFE NSW – Western Institute has provided
a range of training and consultancy services to NPM.
Over this period, Western Institute and NPM have
developed a relationship based on reliability, trust,
flexibility and open communication, where both
parties have confidence in each other, says Ellen
Clifford, a Faculty Business Officer at Western Institute.
When NPM management first decided to investigate a
partnership with an RTO, they asked Western Institute to
provide the following services:
•
understand enterprise-specific competencies then map
them to the relevant Training Package units
•
deliver all training and assessment events at NPM to
suit mine schedules, often well outside normal
business hours
•
issue qualifications to employees in nationally
recognised and accredited Training Package courses
•
provide formal recognition of prior learning (RPL)
where appropriate
•
provide a quality control system and process for NPM’s
training and assessing by validating internal processes
through regular audits such as periodic training and
assessment reviews
•
provide access to all Western Institute’s training and
staff development capabilities and student support
services
•
support NPM to source and secure funding from various
agencies to assist in the provision of training
•
identify gaps in existing training material and provide
input to improve procedures at NPM.
For more than a decade, this detailed set of expectations
has guided TAFE’s partnership with Northparkes Mines.
Innovative TAFE responses
What makes this partnership between NPM and TAFE
innovative and best practice is the synergy achieved
between the two parties, according to TAFE’s Clifford:
Western Institute plays an important part in NPM’s
training programs through ongoing involvement with
supervisors, tradespeople and operators, and
attending regular planning and staff meetings.
Strategies to achieve this synergy include the following,
says Clifford: the unique communication process
established with one Western Institute point of contact
available 24 hours a day to manage all NPM’s training
needs; and the open communication, trust and
flexibility that allows both organisations to confidently
address and resolve any issues or challenges.
The synergy is also assisted by the placement of a TAFE
Project Officer on site at least one day per week who
works with the NPM training department. Western
Institute combines its expertise as assessors and system
managers, and engages NPM staff to provide technical
expertise.
The Resources and Infrastructure Industry Skills Council
(RIISC) - now known as SkillsDMC - has publicly cited
the partnership developed between Western Institute
and Northparkes Mines as the first to genuinely
integrate Training Package programs into a mining
enterprise. SkillsDMC produced a flyer and DVD to
showcase this program and sent it to every mine in
Australia, promoting the importance of implementing
nationally recognised training into the mining industry.
The partnership model developed by Western Institute
and NPM is now replicated in many other mining and
extractive businesses across New South Wales.
Internal cooperation
Within the partnership, Western Institute focuses on the
implementation of customised training, manuals and
standard operating procedures which align the local
requirements to nationally recognised training. Western
Institute also seeks to provide recognition of prior
learning in the workplace, where skills are evident prior
to any training event. Both parties have a commitment
to continuous improvement practices that improve
processes and project outcomes.
“In all projects, our TAFE teaching and non-teaching
staff work cooperatively to best meet our clients’
needs,” says Clifford.
Other value added services from Western Institute
include supporting NPM in sourcing and securing
funding from various agencies to assist in the provision
of training, and performing audits for course
accreditation of NPM’s internal training and assessment
procedures to ensure compliance with Australian Quality
Training Framework (AQTF) standards.
This team approach is very effective for the client,
says Clifford.
We support strategies that enhance the outcomes
for our clients. It is common practice for nonteaching staff to actively participate in client
meetings, hold specific roles related to client
management, and contribute to the development
and continuous improvement of learning resources.
The client establishes rapport with, and confidence
in, administrative staff who may well be more
contactable on a daily basis than key teaching
personnel. This approach continues to work well
for Northparkes Mines, and our other clients.
Workforce development benefits
The partnership has resulted in numerous benefits
for Northparkes Mines, Western Institute, the
community and the students/employees trained.
For example, more than 240 mine workers have
participated in nationally recognised training and
over one hundred NPM staff have completed
Certificate IV in Frontline Management, allowing
them to progress into more senior roles within
NPM.
NPM is pleased that the TAFE training is linked to
role work skills, hence supporting career paths for
NPM staff. NPM has also noted the improved
motivation of staff through the provision of
nationally recognised training with transferable
skills and qualifications.
For TAFE, benefits include the increase in industry
expertise within Western Institute, and the
development of a workplace partnership model
which has been adopted across faculties throughout
TAFE NSW.
Other outcomes for Northparkes Mines
The current boom in the mining industry has
resulted in a severe skills shortage of qualified
mining personnel. With the support of the TAFE
training program, NPM can now employ production
workers with no mining experience and train them
to a nationally recognised standard in all specific
operational aspects of the mine.
This approach has provided a significant benefit for
NPM, allowing it to maintain production targets and
employee levels, without incurring the high costs of
recruiting experienced operators. It also allows NPM
to focus on recruiting from the local community.
31
Case study 6. Continually skilling new employees: Northparkes Mines and TAFE NSW – Western Institute
TAFE staff capabilities
Western Institute staff have significant experience
working within the mining industry, based partly on
their involvement with SkillsDMC - the Industry
Skills Council - and the Minerals Council of NSW and
other industry bodies. Western Institute’s Clifford
comments:
This involvement provides a vital link in keeping
in touch with industry’s requirements. It also
enables us to channel our clients’ requirements
and concerns to the industry bodies that can
initiate change.
32
Clifford finds that Western Institute staff have a
wealth of capabilities, arising from the partnership
with Northparkes Mines. For instance, they can
provide a stimulating learning environment that
encourages training participants to achieve high
standards and offer mentoring support and
guidance. TAFE now deliver flexible training and
assessment services at times to suit the clients,
often well outside core business hours, including
weekends, says Clifford.
Our staff demonstrate commitment to the
mining industry, are motivated and focused on
our customers’ needs, and communicate
honestly and regularly, building rapport with
enterprise management and learners.
Interview with Mark
Ritchie, Site Training
Co-ordinator, Northparkes
Mines
What was your initial expectation of TAFE?
I can source training from many different providers
but I was looking for more than just a training
provider, I was looking for someone that could
actually provide a service and bring in an
educational network. What I mean by providing a
service is that if there are issues around training
then they can provide help and support: for
example, advise on the planning of training for the
year or even possibly source training outside of
their own area.
Are you happy with what TAFE has done, in that
regard?
Yes. Certainly over the years, one of the things I’ve
noticed is they’ve been good listeners, as there’s
always been issues. They have to operate within
their organisational framework and there’s always
a bit of politics that they operate within, but
certainly they’ve always worked towards
overcoming those obstacles and providing a service
that the mine was after, especially as the mine’s a
24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week operation.
Has TAFE demonstrated flexibility?
Yes, for example, TAFE provides training onsite. We
have our people trained up as qualified trainers
and assessors, so we actually assess our own
competence onsite. TAFE provide on-the-ground
support to our trainers and assessors.
What else do you look to TAFE to provide?
What I need TAFE to do is provide accredited
training. At NPM, using TAFE as the registered
training organisation we have implemented
Certificate III in Exploration and Drilling, Laboratory
Practice, Mines Rescue, Supply and Distribution, Ore
Processing, and Underground. I need them to keep
a close track of how people are going, support the
people in getting through their training and
assessment, and support the trainers’ assessors. I
need them to look after the accredited training
programs.
Is quality an issue for you?
Quality is a big issue in as much as I can’t get
around to all the trainers and assessors to make
sure they’re doing their utmost. There’s always a
lot of pressure. I think the last thing I want to do
myself is be out here at 10pm on a Friday night.
That’s where I’m able to utilise TAFE staff, for
example Paul Mascord. It’s not uncommon for TAFE
to be out here any time of the day or night. I find
that an enormous benefit to the site training team.
What does TAFE need to understand about your
business?
They need to understand the industry, people,
culture, and the challenges NPM faces. As we’ve
seen many mines have a skill shortage, we’re
trying to follow a path so that we’ve got new
people coming through all the time. I depend on
TAFE to be flexible in methods of delivery and the
time they can deliver training.
So you’re happy with the service that TAFE provides?
Oh, brilliant, absolutely spectacularly brilliant. TAFE has
laboratory practice expertise and I think we’re probably
one of the few mines in Australia that have a
Certificate III in Laboratory Practice. I know the
laboratory team leader was a little bit cautious about
whether the program was going to add value or not,
but now that we’ve actually got the Certificate III
embedded, the value of that to the lab section has
been enormous and certainly they view it now as
essential to their operation.
Do you believe that training and assessing at
Certificate III level actually increases productivity?
Yes, certainly. I’m sure that the improved skill levels as
a result of the Certificate’s accredited training have
increased the effectiveness of operators. I know in
Supply and Distribution, we’ve introduced the
Certificate III and the people are half way through that
at the moment. They now have a far better
understanding of the whole logistics and the
distribution of goods.
We now have a structured, accredited training system
in place where people can walk straight in and up-skill
in their job a lot quicker than just by osmosis.
You seem to be intent on creating a culture of
learning so you can take on people who have no
previous qualifications.
Correct. At the operator level we’re trying to recruit
locally. We very much recruit on attitude; attitude’s the
most critical thing. Even with our apprentices, and we
have 12 apprentices on site, I don’t care if a young
person hasn’t ever held a file, I can teach them to file,
but what I can’t teach them to do is have the right
attitude, or it’s very difficult to do. Certainly attitude is
the most critical part and once again TAFE plays a big
role in all our apprentice skills training.
When you say attitude, do you mean that they’re willing to
learn?
The attitude is that safety is the highest priority, that people
are prepared to work in teams, people are prepared to take on
personal responsibility. That people are very much looking to
work towards being part of and creating a safe work culture.
Why does the partnership with TAFE work well?
A cornerstone of why the partnership works is we meet every
four to six weeks all through the year, and we minute those
meetings. It involves half a dozen of the TAFE people that work
and come out to the mine as well as the training team. We get
together and sort through any issues and make sure that if
there are, that they’re solved quickly.
Is there anything else about TAFE that you’d like to comment
on?
Yes, certainly. They’ve got two other things that I like. First,
they’re becoming more flexible in their service. An example of
that is their enrolment times are not just twice a year now, you
can enrol people any time. And second, they’re looking to
continuously improve and I can see that continuous
improvement. The Western Institute, the mining section,
through the head teacher there, David Chapman, certainly gets
towards the leading edge of services in mining. The best way to
summarise it is they provide a service, not just training.
Anything else?
Our mine depends on TAFE to meet many of our training needs.
One of my concerns is that there’s continuing government
support for TAFE and that the government understands how
important TAFE is to this local region and Australia. I don’t have
101 service providers in my backyard, otherwise I’ve got to
bring people from interstate. TAFE plays a very important role
here. So basically I’d say to the governments, keep supporting
TAFE.
33
CASE STUDY 7.
Up-skilling a
regional workforce:
Norco and TAFE
NSW – North Coast
Institute
Introducing Norco
•
Establishing a Learning Partnership between North Coast
Institute and Norco, and two other stakeholders. According
to Norco’s Senior Human Resource Officer, Gary Davidson,
the company’s purpose was “to ensure ongoing learning
opportunities to increase knowledge and skills of their
staff in quality service provision”. The range of learning
initially targeted under the Partnership included
warehousing, retail, stores, grain-handling, and
management.
•
Provision under the Workplace English Language and
Literacy (WELL) program. From the company perspective,
this provision met the wish to up-skill all employees and
move to a collaborative team-based structure. “This is
necessary to allow Norco ice-cream unit to succeed in a
highly competitive international and domestic environment
as downsizing is likely,” says Davidson. “We also wish to
up-skill all Rural Stores employees to become active team
leaders and move to a collaborative team based structure
as part of re-structuring the Rural Stores division.”
•
Implementation of a wide-ranging skills audit to provide
an informed platform from which to build employees’
career and personal development. “One objective of the
enterprise agreement states empowerment of staff as a
goal,” says Davidson. “Many employees have participated
in little or no formal training. They are disadvantaged in
proposed changes to the plant to meet industry quality
assurance standards because all staff will be required to
demonstrate competency in AQF certificates level I through
to III in Food Processing.”
•
Placement on-site of a language literacy and numeracy
trainer to support staff in achieving personal career goals
and structure. “Up-skilling the employees will strengthen
Norco’s ability to remain competitive,” believes Davidson.
“In addition, up-skilling staff will enhance product quality
assurance - a requirement for international export.
Requirements of overseas contracts require stringent
adherence to high standards of manufacturing, for
example, very low bacterial counts.”
Norco Co-operative Limited is a diversified agricultural
co-operative based in northern NSW. Dairying remains
a key part of the business, however from its early
roots in Byron Bay, Norco today has grown into much
more than a dairy co-operative. Currently Norco
operates as three business divisions - Norco Foods,
Norco Rural and Norco Agribusiness - and is active in
many parts of the food supply chain.
Since 2000 the industry has experienced considerable
turbulence, from changes such as the de-regulation of
the Australian farm-gate milk price, but Norco
continues to meet these and other challenges.
Addressing Norco’s needs
Training serves several purposes for the organisation,
not least of which is ensuring that the company
remains abreast of industry developments. This is
achieved by ensuring the employees are exposed to
training in all aspects of the industry, supporting both
career and personal development. Training also
addresses Norco’s goals for economic, social and
environmental sustainability.
34
The Human Resources Department within Norco coordinates all training programs, and since 2002 TAFE
NSW – North Coast Institute has been part of Norco’s
training agenda.
Norco has negotiated a new career structure for
employees linked to skills development through
training. Highlights of the skills development
initiatives arising from this enterprise agreement
include the following:
Top, Garry Davidson, Norco
Above, Stephanie Manion, TAFE NSW
Innovative TAFE responses
External partnering
In its support of Norco’s workforce development, North
Coast Institute has responded in a range of innovative
ways. First, a skilled North Coast Institute staff member
was appointed as a workforce development consultant
for Norco and placed within the Norco Human Resources
unit on a twelve-month part-time contract. This contract
was recently renewed for a period of two years, for sixeight hours per week.
As noted earlier, North Coast Institute joined Norco in
a learning partnership which included two other
stakeholders. The first of these stakeholders was a
large regional apprenticeship centre and their role
within the partnership was to support and enhance
Norco’s recruitment practices to underpin a planned
recruitment strategy and to maximise access to any
available incentives or wage support to assist business
growth and workforce stability.
Second, North Coast Institute contributed directly to
Norco’s workforce development by providing leveraged
access to funding under the Get Skilled program. This
funding was specifically used to support the delivery of
training for the Certificate I Food Processing, in order to
provide entry-level skills development for Norco’s
casual, seasonal workforce. In turn, this improved the
productivity returns from this casual workforce during
peak production periods.
The delivery of this training also served to up-skill a
mobile workforce which moves on a seasonal basis to
other food processing sector employers across the North
Coast, and contributes to the building of regional skills
and employability beyond the Norco footprint.
Third, recent targeted initiatives included the provision
of training in the Milk Processing and Ice Cream
manufacturing plants. Norco is a contract packer of
dairy products and subject to strict food quality
standards by its contracts and as such is subject to
regular audits. Training is essential to maintain quality
work practices.
Fourth, regular, ongoing training occurs in fields such as
Pasteurizer Operator training and Milk and Cream
Grader training, and within the framework of the
Certificate III Food Processing and in the Certificate IV
Frontline Management.
The second stakeholder was a large registered training
organisation (RTO) and a direct competitor to North
Coast Institute in both contestable and commercial
training markets across the region. In working
together, the Institute and this competitor
demonstrated their understanding that large
employers sometimes present needs that extend
beyond the capability and/or training scope of a
single RTO. The Institute and its competitor also
demonstrated their appreciation that Norco may
benefit from accessing different modes and models of
training services from different suppliers.
This innovative partnership also created a scenario in
which both providers sought to offer the superior
service to the client, hence creating a stimulus to
improvement which was of benefit to all parties.
Internal cooperation
North Coast Institute’s implementation of a clientcentred team approach linking faculty and campus
functions within the Institute provides a seamless
delivery of services to Norco, across the range of their
business sectors, says Stephanie Manion, Team Leader
Business Support, North Coast Institute. This
seamlessness is underpinned by a range of strategies
including:
•
regular team meetings of trainers to ensure
consistency of quality and style of service to Norco
•
the development and provision of customised learning materials and
assessment tools that are validated for consistency and quality
assurance
•
an Institute profile of service provision to Norco which - co-ordinated
through an in-house TAFE workforce development consultant provides an enduring model in which client needs and requirements
guide and shape the Institute’s responses to Norco’s evolving needs.
Workforce development benefits
Norco has benefited from its commitment to workforce development
and through the contributions of North Coast Institute to that process, in
numerous ways, says Manion:
The organisational capability of Norco has been increased through
the training of supervisors in work-based assessment and/or
frontline management. Progress has been achieved in the structure
and performance of the ice-cream business unit. And in general
Norco staff are now on track to have the competencies required for
their job.
In addition, says Manion, measurable recognition of skill has been
achieved and there has been significant movement of the unskilled
workforce into a career structure. Further benefits include the following:
a reduction in incidents of harassment and discrimination and a
recognised increase in confidence of workers and of the participation of
workers in teams, and in decision-making.
Overall Norco now has a more highly skilled workforce and workforce
development has facilitated portable credentials within and across the
business sectors of Norco, says Manion.
The workforce can now reliably attain the necessary performance
levels for market requirements and the presence of more highly
skilled junior staff frees up supervisors to act strategically, which
creates improvement opportunities.
35
Case study 7. Up-skilling a regional workforce: Norco and TAFE NSW – North Coast Institute
Other outcomes for client
North Coast Institute began contributing to Norco’s
workforce development achievements in 2002 and
continues to be a key contributor. Central to Norco’s
achievements in that time is workplace reform, and
TAFE-supported workforce development initiatives
were critical to the success of the enterprise
bargaining agreement underpinning the company’s
reform agenda.
Other outcomes since then, notes Manion, include
Norco being able to maintain competitiveness in
international markets, meet performance standards,
improve market share across its business divisions,
build economic resilience and enhance the
economic vitality and diversity of the rural and
regional communities in which Norco operates.
36
Norco also was able to build environmental
resilience, including measuring and analysing the
organisation’s carbon footprint, and investigating
opportunities for converting farm and factory waste
into renewable energy, ingredients for animal feed
and other marketable products.
Workforce development also has contributed
significantly to building social resilience - one of
Norco’s core corporate goals. This social resilience
was assisted by data collected from the
implementation of an innovative cultural health
survey within Norco which sought staff views about
issues such as communication, leadership, and
workplace health and well-being.
TAFE staff capabilities
The following attributes are identified by Manion as
some of the factors contributing to the success of
TAFE’s workforce development partnership with
Norco. North Coast Institute staff have
demonstrated each of these capabilities, with
significant success, says Manion:
flexibility - to work jointly with a competitor to
meet a client’s needs
availability - to accommodate the needs of shift
workers and production schedules
customer-focussed attitude - which is able to
provide professional input and perspectives to a
business partner within the context of that
business partner’s values, purpose, and
economic imperatives
authentic industry experience and knowledge provided a platform for mutual respect and
cooperation, including willingness to source,
hire as necessary, and offer to the client TAFE
staff who meet their requirements in all aspects
communication style and strategy appropriate
to client contexts - respecting the language and
‘mores’ of the client, the client’s business, and
the client’s employees; also respecting the
established communication channels and
patterns of the client’s enterprise and industry
commitment to client benefit - accepting that
the client needs to see measurable outcomes in
terms of productivity or other performance
profiles, for example, reduction in insurance
costs, to validate their investment in workforce
development
adaptability to workplace environments responding appropriately to workplace
obligations, for example vaccinating TAFE staff
for Q fever and providing protective clothing for
TAFE staff
openness and acceptance of criticism/
suggestions for change in approach - accepting
that the TAFE perspective is not necessarily the
universal one.
TAFE institute capacity
North Coast Institute offers a broad range of
qualification levels and, with an emphasis on
providing innovative and flexible learning solutions,
it is responsive to community, business and industry
workplace training requirements. “One of our
success indicators is workforce development and
business improvement for employers,” says
Manion.
The Institute has extensive experience with the
needs of business and industry. The Institute offers
a wide range of consultancy services to help clients
develop training strategies, implement training
programs and assess the effectiveness of training
outcomes in meeting workplace requirements.
Manion believes the Institute has demonstrated the
capacity to match the right TAFE staff with the
external client:
The critical thing with Norco and with other
organisations that we’re working with similarly,
is having the right TAFE people in the right job.
And that means within our structures that we
need to have the agility to be able to pull
somebody from somewhere or other, if they’ve
got the right set of skills and they’re the best
fit. We managed to achieve that with the
people that went into Norco.
Interview with Gary Davidson,
Senior Human Resource
Officer, Norco
Gary, please describe the start of the relationship
with TAFE.
The relationship probably goes back about five years
when we formed an official partnership mainly looking
at food processing training in our ice-cream factory.
With TAFE at that stage, we took on about sixty
trainees and we finished that program after a couple
of years but now the partnership has developed across
the whole business.
What has the partnership led to now?
We’re now delivering in our Queensland plant
programs on food processing and frontline
management, we are about to roll out two more food
processing programs in our Coffs Harbour plant with
the North Coast Institute and frontline management.
They’ve developed quite an expertise in food
processing and dairy in particular, by employing some
good assessors who have industry relevance. That’s
where it’s really blossomed. They’ve got for example
one assessor now who’s actually a qualified dairy
auditor and he’s still current in that field so he’s able to
work with us on tailored programs, customising
training courses, which was previously very difficult for
us to get.
We had to go to Victoria, and we’ve now got that
capability locally. It’s been quite helpful to us. That’s
the history of it I suppose. The food processing
training which wasn’t one of TAFE’s traditional
offerings when they first started, is something they’ve
had to develop over the years.
Are you looking for training that helps your
productivity?
It’s about productivity yes, and secondly it’s about
compliance to industry standards, which is now
demanding that our staff be trained. We have
contracts with people like Streets - we make icecream for them - and Sara Lee, Sanitarium,
Woolworths and McDonalds. As part of that, these
companies audit us to ensure that we can provide the
quality productivity that they demand and they look
favourably upon our staff being trained in food
processing, in looking at quality.
So it’s more quality and keeping up to the standard
and pleasing your clients that you’re looking for?
Yes, very important to us.
Is TAFE starting to assist you with workforce
development issues like retention of staff?
Yes, it’s important that as part of our retention
strategy that we offer staff development. We’ve
pretty much covered the food processing area, so
probably the most pressing need at the moment is
frontline management for our new supervisors who
are coming on board all the time. And the training
delivery of that too has changed over the years.
We’ve started to get more personal to the business,
that’s something that’s developed. We’re able to
tailor-make the frontline competencies to the
business. Initially we weren’t very good at it I think
but we’re getting better as we get on.
Are you now looking to TAFE to continually upskill your staff?
Oh yes, that’s what we want them to do: up-skill
and sometimes to identify the skills that are
already there. It’s becoming more important that
staff are starting to look towards that now. A few
years ago, they didn’t think it was important but
now they’re changing their mind.
What are some of your views about North Coast
Institute?
They’re important to us because their footprint in
the North Coast is pretty similar to ours. And
they’re more willing to deliver some of the harder
Training Packages. We’ve got plenty of smaller
private RTOs available to us, but they’re almost
irrelevant to us because they only deliver the
cheaper Training Packages, like business, IT and
that sort of thing. Whereas TAFE is willing to look
at the hard things, like pasteurising certificates, for
our pasteuriser operators in the factory, milk and
cream grading qualifications.
Yes, and we value the relationship they have
brought to it, because not only do they deliver
regionally but they deliver on-site. They’re going to
be an important part of our future.
37
CASE STUDY 8.
Enabling staff from
142 organisations to
function as one:
NSW Rural Fire
Service and TAFE
NSW – Riverina
Institute
38
Introducing NSW Rural Fire Service
The NSW Rural Fire Service (NSWRFS) is a state
government department with approximately 700
employees and 70,000 volunteers whose primary task
is to safeguard the community against fire hazards,
particularly in rural and regional NSW.
In 2000 the State Government amended the Rural Fires
Act 1997 which resulted in the transfer of over three
hundred local government fire control staff in 142 local
government councils to State Government
employment. This transfer of employment took effect
on 1 July 2001.
An ongoing challenge for the NSWRFS is to manage a
geographically disparate body of staff and volunteers
across culturally different areas of the state. Another
significant challenge is to train staff and volunteer firefighters to world standards each year within tight time
frames: that is, during winter.
Addressing NSWRFS’s needs
In 1999 a relationship commenced between TAFE NSW
– Riverina Institute and NSWRFS. Initially, the primary
aim of staff training was the development of
leadership and management competencies directly
aligned to fire-fighting courses. More recently
alignment was sought with Training Packages. Other
training has included the provision of courses in
Business Administration and Human Resources. Staff
and volunteers were also trained in the Training and
Assessment Training Package. Over the last few years
some of the focus has shifted to training senior
volunteers.
Left, Brett Storey, NSWRFS
Centre, Tania Brine, NSWRFS
Right, Kerry Penton, TAFE NSW
TAFE NSW offers services other than direct training. For
example, in 2003 a member of TAFE NSW Riverina
Institute staff was contracted to the Region West of the
NSW Rural Fire Service for two separate periods of three
months. On the first occasion the staff member completed
the preparatory work to conduct a training needs analysis
for seventy staff members across the region. The
preparatory phase included analysing each position
description and the position challenges and responsibility.
Each of the competencies identified within a position was
then aligned to competencies from a relevant Training
Package.
On the second occasion the TAFE staff member conducted
the training needs analysis and developed a two-year
training plan to support the development of individual
staff and then provided the overall region with
information about training and development needs.
The training needs analysis mentioned above provided
the opportunity for the Riverina Institute to give feedback
to the regional management about potential areas for
improvement in their business and communications
processes. For instance, the issue of a NSWRFS manager
needing to manage staff from remote locations was
identified as a priority matter. Possible solutions were
suggested to NSWRFS managers by the contracted TAFE
NSW staff member.
Innovative TAFE responses
Training programs are designed through a consultative
process to determine the appropriate selection of Training
Packages to suit the needs of the staff from the NSWRFS.
This process is applied at regional, state and district level.
There are two methods preferred by NSWRFS for the
delivery of programs. First, there is a block release
model where NSW Rural Fire Service staff attend
programs for three or four days. Following completion
of the block training, staff return to work to complete
assignment tasks based on relevant and practical issues
and problems associated with their workplace. This
approach allows staff to gain appropriate theoretical
background and then apply it to the workplace.
Riverina Institute staff provide extra support by
conducting workshops between these blocks of
training, together with email and telephone support.
This model applies to programs such as the Certificate
IV and Diploma in Business (Frontline Management).
The second model - a blended approach - is used for
the delivery of training in Certificates III and IV in
Business Administration and the Certificate IV in
Training and Assessment. It consists of a combination of
workshops, the provision of recognition of prior
learning services, and the delivery of gap training using
flexible delivery materials and email and telephone
support.
Internal cooperation
At a TAFE campus level, two departments
(Administration Services and Management & Small
Business) work together on a regular basis to align
programs, develop timetables and provide support for
NSWRFS. Other campuses in the Institute are involved
with the delivery of programs for NSWRFS through the
secondment of specialised staff such as from Human
Resources.
Cootamundra/Young Campuses and Tumut Campus
share a teacher of management and small business
who is an integral part of the teaching and learning
process for NSWRFS. Non-teaching staff are also
involved in supporting the administration of the
project.
Workforce development benefits
A major outcome of the partnership for NSWRFS is the
involvement of TAFE staff in the development of a
matrix of training competencies and qualifications
across the fields of fire-fighting, front-line
management and in-house training. The purpose of
the matrix is for staff and volunteers to locate their
current qualifications and identify further
requirements for training which may lead to a new
career or a promotion.
NSW Rural Fire staff, through TAFE NSW, complete
qualifications such as the Diploma of Business
(Frontline Management), Certificate IV in Business
(Frontline Management), Certificate III in Business
Administration, Certificate IV in Business
Administration, Certificate III in Financial Services and
the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. Many
staff are able to use these qualifications to gain credit
transfer towards other Training Package qualifications
such as the Certificate in Public Safety (Firefighting
Supervision).
TAFE staff capabilities
The partnership has allowed some existing TAFE staff
to work in a commercial environment for the first
time, where they are required to solve problems and
work independently in the workplace. “Basically it
made staff develop new strategies rather than
referring everything to the Head Teacher,” says Kerry
Penton, Riverina Institute Head of Campus. She
continues:
They absolutely love it. They find it really professionally
challenging and what you then find is that they’re
actually a better deliverer in the classroom because
their currency in industry has been enhanced. They
know more about what’s currently happening in
industry and they can take it back to their classroom
and often teach in a very different way. So, you actually
get benefits on both sides of the spectrum.
The project also has provided Riverina Institute staff with
the opportunity to identify the capacity to diversify and
provide this type of training in other organisations. “The
delivery methods of block release, gap training and
recognition plus assessment strategies of work-based
assignments are popular with employers,” says Penton.
TAFE institute capacities
As a better understanding of the culture of NSWRFS
developed, new programs were developed, customised and
modified by TAFE. Programs are now customised to reflect
that culture and, importantly, “client liaison meetings
inform TAFE staff of the particular needs of the
organisation,” says Penton. She adds further comments
about TAFE capacity:
The NSWRFS partnership has identified TAFE capacity to
extend services into other organisations. The
partnership has identified “niche” areas which can be
built upon in the future including the extended use of
recognition. A program and process were developed
using the project as a model on how to use the
recognition process.
39
Case study 8. Enabling staff from 142 organisations to function as one: NSW Rural Fire Service and TAFE NSW – Riverina Institute
Interview with Brett Storey,
A/Manager, Learning and
Development Systems, and
Tania Brine, HR Strategic
Resources Coordinator, NSWRFS
Brett, when and why did your connection begin with
Riverina Institute?
The relationship with the Riverina Institute started about
ten years ago and it was designed then mainly for staff
needing to achieve qualifications to match positions that
they were already in.
40
At that time, one of our service standards was put out as
an initial draft document requiring that by a specified
time our staff needed to have qualifications that matched
the grade or level of position that they were in. That was
the catalyst for us commencing the relationship with
Riverina Institute, and now it’s quite a substantial
relationship that we have with them.
It’s been going roughly for 10 years now, and actually I
am one of the original students of that initial program.
I imagine you have looked to TAFE to be more flexible
and more responsive over that period. Have they been
that?
Absolutely, since then we’ve developed more into
providing our volunteers Certificate IV in Frontline
Management. The way that we’ve been able to do that is
still using the same block release components of
leadership and safety run through TAFE Riverina. But
they’re also providing both online flexible learning
through to both distance education packages, for
completion of the remaining elements of the Certificate IV
in Frontline Management and now for the Business
Certificate. So they’ve certainly met our needs in that
regard.
Does TAFE now understand your business well?
We have had two main TAFE Institute personnel running
the programs for us, Peter Redman and Leanne McGrath,
both of whom have had a very close association with the
Rural Fire Service. Peter has been a volunteer with us for
about that 10 year component, Leanne’s husband is a
volunteer with us. So they’ve been able to understand our
organisation’s culture and needs, designing programs that
suit our needs.
Now beyond them and since our first program, the
remaining TAFE people that have come on board to teach
our programs have been able, through their relationship
with Peter and Leanne, to build a very sound
understanding of our organisation and culture.
What do you look for from the training besides the
immediate skills that the trainees develop?
The components that we’re after, or have been after, is
more meeting our needs in providing in-house leadership
training and certainly occupational health and safety
training. Because we’re so geographically dispersed across
the state, it can be quite arduous for us to provide
training programs that match our needs, from one end of
the state to the other and as far west as Bourke and
Cobar.
So for TAFE to be able to go through and actually put into
place a mix of block release and online or distance
education packages for us has been a godsend. It
certainly saves us a lot of angst trying to put it onto our
scope of registration and keep that up to date. And it’s
certainly allowed our staff to achieve qualifications to
match their positions in business management and it has
allowed us to focus on the specific task function of our
core business, which is fire fighting.
What changes have you seen in the individuals
undertaking the training?
Look there’s a change in their perspective and their style
of management. If I used the volunteers as an example,
we see a lot of our captains who are the lead person in
each of our brigade stations. We find the captains take on
a different perspective on their leadership and their
ability to relate to people who are under their command
of control. They understand a lot of the policy procedures
the organisation has to put into place and view it from a
different perspective than where they were sitting in the
training programs.
Tania, why did you start collaborating with TAFE?
I began collaborating with TAFE in about 2004 and I was
the women’s liaison officer for the service at that point. I
was mainly looking at getting our women qualified in the
Certificate III and IV in Business Administration. We were
finding that a lot of our women working in administration
actually had all the skills they needed, but they just didn’t
have a qualification to support them. So that was my
main reason for coming into contact with TAFE. And since
then I’ve run those programs every year, for about the
past four to five years.
Is TAFE’s impact measurable?
Some statistics for you: around about 2004 we had about
43% of our salaried staff with the qualification that they
needed for their jobs. In 2008, we’re at 77%. And it’s
basically due to TAFE, largely, and probably about 85% of
our training is through the Riverina Institute of TAFE. We
have 700 salaried staff, so I’m only quoting our salaried
staff with those figures. There’s a lot more to add on the
volunteer side, but I don’t have stats on that.
What do you value about TAFE’s approach?
Just the ease of being able to call the Riverina Institute
and discuss things like skill shortages, and identify gap
training where you can have that gap training actually
linked to a national qualification. It’s been really great
to be able to have the help at end of the phone
straight away, and delivered, while we’re here at
Homebush in Sydney, rather than us having to go
anywhere.
Are there other things you like about Riverina
Institute?
Each year we have a meeting with the Institute, in
Goulburn and discuss what we did last year and how
we can do it better next year. It’s really been beneficial
just to see how we’re getting a really professional level
of training delivered, exactly the way we need it to be
done.
From a HR point of view, have you seen staff gain
extra benefits beyond the qualification?
Most definitely. By virtue of its fire fighting culture the
RFS is typically a male dominated organisation,
however it’s great to see that as a result of training
such as this I can literally count the female staff each
year moving away from administration roles and into
business, management and specialised roles. You can
see in all staff - that is, not just the female staff - after
having formal training and gaining that qualification
that it seems to instil a certain confidence boost and
staff end up seeing situations that arise in our ever
changing environment as challenges that they can help
resolve instead of issues that may overcome them.
From a basic HR point of view increases in morale
lead to happier, motivated staff, increased
productivity and decreases in sick days etc. Staff that
are happy at work just benefit the organisation in so
many ways and the RFS knows this, that’s why they
have invested so much time and money in their staff
with training such as the programs run via the
Riverina Institute.
The other positive to the district staff transfer of 2001
was that the development opportunities for staff in
142 separate districts were limited and with the
transfer to the RFS, it gave way to a whole range of
opportunities for those staff such as transfers, career
opportunities and professional development that
simply wasn’t available with them being in 142
separate councils.
Brett, are there other benefits that your
organisation’s been aware of from the TAFE input?
The majority of personnel that we put in at the local
government level didn’t necessarily have other than
their volunteer experience; they didn’t really have a
great deal of further development opportunities. So our
relationship with TAFE has enabled our organisation to
meet that staff development need.
I’ll just highlight some of the statistics behind the
other components that Tania was talking about. We
have about 71,000 volunteers - both active and
support personnel - who are spread out all the way
across New South Wales. The service standard that
was put into place for us was to drive the need of the
organisation to seek further development. Now that
has been so successful that we have achieved Tania’s
77% of our staff who have qualifications to match
their positions. And that’s continuing to increase as
people seek further education.
Now what we find is people are actually seeking
further development beyond that. So when we start
running diplomas and advanced diplomas we may
have 20 places on a program and we’re getting in
excess of 70 applicants for each of those programs.
How does that achievement compare with your past
challenges?
Bear in mind that this organisation over the last 10
years has gone from approx 142 local fire districts to
one. The enactment of State legislation - the Rural
Fires Act 1997 as amended - enabled us to bring all of
those 300 local government staff that were linked to
fire fighting within each local council, under one
umbrella with the development of the Rural Fires Act.
Just how responsive is Riverina Institute?
One of my staff today rang Riverina to program a
training and assessment upgrade course for our
learning and development officers across the state and
that’s going to happen in four weeks time. So that
relationship with TAFE has allowed us to say ‘Well we
need this program, let’s get it put on’ and Riverina
Institute will meet that need each time.
Brett, are there other things about the TAFE
relationship that you’d like to comment on?
We’re really happy with the timeframe in which we can
get training delivered and with the array of programs
that we can get delivered quite easily. They’re so far
away from us really: we’re in Sydney. We could easily
go to a TAFE around the corner, but they just seem to
be able to meet all our needs within our timeframes,
and very professionally, and we just haven’t had a
problem with them. They’re great.
41
CASE STUDY 9.
Opening up career
paths: Australian Lot
Feeders’ Association
and TAFE NSW –
New England
Institute
Introducing the Australian Lot Feeders’
Association
The workforce development challenges facing the
feedlot industry in Australia are substantial. They
include attracting and retaining workers to feedlots
which are often in remote rural locations, up-skilling
existing workers and providing recognition of existing
skills, while meeting quality assurance and legislative
requirements in the industry.
The Australian Lot Feeders’ Association (ALFA) is the
peak national body for the feedlot industry in
Australia. ALFA President Malcolm Foster summarises
the need for training, even during a downturn in the
industry:
There is no question that the industry will recover
from current circumstances. The need for well
trained employees is essential and shouldn’t be
neglected. It’s often better to do training during
any downturn, so that when the industry picks up,
employees are already trained and ready to get up
and running.
42
He also endorses the importance of nationally
accredited training:
ALFA would encourage feedlots to continue training
for the benefits of industry as a whole. Training
provides industry with a pool of suitably trained
personnel, the training is standardised so
employees have portability within the industry,
and feedlots know that the people with those
qualifications do have the skills necessary to work
effectively in the industry.
Left, Des Rinehart, MLA
Right, Di Van Berlo, TAFE NSW
Addressing the feedlots’ needs
Several years ago TAFE NSW – New England
Institute formed a relationship with ALFA and the
Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA). The latter
body provides marketing and research and
development services to the industry.
The Institute formed these relationships in an
effort to expand the uptake and enhance the
delivery of the feedlot training courses across
Australia. After negotiations with the ALFA and
MLA in 2005, the course content was confirmed
for three ALFA-endorsed feedlot training
programs, as follows:
•
Certificate III Agriculture (Beef Operations)RTE30203 - Pen Riders course
•
Certificate III Agriculture (Rural Operations)RTE31903 - Feeding and Milling course
•
Certificate III Agriculture (Rural Operations) RTE31903 - Feedlot Maintenance course.
These training programs were then delivered as
New Entrant Traineeships in New South Wales,
and Existing Worker Traineeships in Queensland.
Meat and Livestock Australia engaged in a project
with TAFE NSW – New England Institute to develop
the entire set of delivery and assessment tools for
the above three feedlot courses, as endorsed by
the ALFA.
The development of these resources required the
mapping of the three training program units of
competency into teaching objects. The content of each
teaching object was then developed to align with the
knowledge and skills requirements of each unit of
competency according to Training Package
requirements, assuring AQTF (Australian Quality Training
Framework) compliance. Assessment and delivery tools
were then developed.
Other training programs successfully provided include
the commercial delivery of individual units of
competence tailored to suit individual feedlot needs in
these areas: chemical application, confined spaces,
occupational health and safety, cattle handling, senior
first aid and feed truck driving.
Innovative TAFE responses
New England Institute negotiated with key industry
stakeholders - including ALFA, MLA and the Beef CRC to determine the most suitable training programs for
the industry and its workers. It then developed the
three ALFA-endorsed feedlot training courses cited
above.
The Institute developed all the assessment tools and
training delivery tools for the three feedlot courses to
enable flexible and integrated work based training and
assessment. It also designed the digital storage, update
and maintenance of these resources. The delivery is
flexible and work based delivery, and is now moving to
incorporate web conferencing and CD-Rom resources.
Institute staff now meet regularly with individual
feedlots in divergent geographical locations to ensure
the conduct of training and assessment minimises
disruptions to the busy feedlot work schedules. TAFE
also provides commercial short courses to meet
individual feedlot needs, for example cattle handling
courses, chemical application courses, and OH&S
courses. Institute staff prepare a monthly article in the
Lot Feeders’ Journal highlighting the needs and
benefits of training in promoting human capital and
quality assurance program compliance.
The Institute staff conduct an ongoing review of
feedlot training program progress, successes, needs
and future directions. Staff are also heavily involved in
the awarding of the annual Pfizer Medal for excellence
in workplace skills in the feedlot industry. Trainees
undertaking one of the three courses are eligible for
this award.
Internal cooperation
Extensive consultation was required amongst trainers
in the development of the feedlot training courses,
and the mapping of all the units of competency into
teaching objects. A large number of TAFE trainers are
involved in the ongoing development and review of
the training and assessment tools for the courses.
The Institute’s non-teaching staff perform significant
roles in this partnership with the feedlot industry. The
information and communications technology (ICT) staff
are involved in the digital storage of the resources to
ensure accessibility, version control, permissions
control for updating resources and for retrieval of
resources. The Institute’s Educational Developments
Unit is supporting the utilisation of web conferencing
to enhance flexible delivery of training and
assessment to feedlot staff in widespread locations.
Workforce development benefits
The aims of the TAFE NSW- New England Institute are to consolidate the
previously established feedlot training and to expand the programs
further, ensuring sustainability for the feedlot industry.
The Institute is determined to sustain the following benefits in
workforce development. It has helped the industry to adopt high
performance practices, to develop innovative product and service
strategies, to develop new approaches to career development and to
integrate on-the-job skills development with strategies for growth,
investment and productivity. TAFE has also helped feedlots to increase
productivity through greater awareness of quality assurance
requirements, animal health management and OH&S.
The feedlot training programs continue to assist feedlots to identify
areas in which their staff need additional training. This enables the
feedlots to meet stringent quality assurance requirements under the
National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme. The programs also help with
meeting changing OH&S requirements.
TAFE’s Project Officer- Feedlot, Dianne Van Berlo comments on tangible
productivity benefits of the training:
Where we’ve helped increase the productivity of feedlots has
specifically been in relation to training which improves their
operations - specifically OH&S training, animal health and
husbandry, and quality assurance processes. All the feedlots actually
do notice that their staff are a lot more alert, for example when
they need to pull sick cattle out, they’re a lot more conscious of the
implications of various symptoms and acting quickly as opposed to
letting things go.
The productivity improvements directly affect the bottom line of the
feedlots, says Van Berlo:
43
Case study 9. Opening up career paths: Australian Lot Feeders Association and TAFE NSW – New England Institute
In terms of productivity, animal health has an
incredible effect on their margins per head
across the feedlot. It doesn’t take them much
for them to lose a few head and they lose their
margins. So our role has been in ensuring that
the staff are really aware of feedlot diseases,
signs and symptoms and when to pull cattle,
how to treat them, how to treat them
appropriately and when they’re ready to go
back into the pen. That directly affects the
bottom line of the feedlots, really directly.
Other outcomes for client
44
The use of learning technologies such as tablet PCs
in work-based training and assessment in the
delivery of the feedlot programs has provided the
additional benefit of promoting lifelong learning,
says TAFE’s Dianne Van Berlo:
This was particularly the case with mature age
learners who possess incredible existing skills
which had not been recognised, and who were
given the opportunity to complete assessments,
using tablet PCs, which they found more nonthreatening and fun.
The use of tablet PCs has allowed trainers to
deliver just-in-time training and assessment as
all the resources needed for training and
assessment including administrative forms are
on the tablet PC taken out into the field.
Industry-wide benefits are now emerging. Industry
bodies, in consultation with New England Institute,
have lobbied for the establishment of feedlotspecific qualifications that are now being developed
through the Agri-Food Industry Skills Council. The
Institute is currently in the midst of negotiating
training needs with the Western Australian Lot
Feeders’ Association.
TAFE staff capabilities
TAFE staff have undertaken extensive negotiations
with industry enabling them to understand better
the needs and preferences of the feedlot industry.
The negotiations include topics such as how to keep
the course content up to date and accurate. In
liaising with industry, TAFE staff need to be flexible,
understand the demands and challenges of the
feedlot industry during the drought and in times of
high commodity prices and declining margins.
Staff show their flexibility in driving long distances
to farm sites and working around changing feedlot
work schedules, for example those caused by
machinery breakdowns.
TAFE Institute capacities
Partnering the feed lot industry required the
Institute to review its strategic direction to ensure
its consultative approaches were appropriate for
meeting industry needs. The Institute also ensured
its promotion of its capability in flexibly delivering
training and assessment according to industry
needs was matched by demonstrated practice.
The Institute staff have established strong
relationships and communication lines with feedlot
managers so that the managers are now aware of
the capacity of the Institute to provide multiple
services, says Van Berlo:
The managers are starting to come to us and say is
there anything else that you can recommend we
do. That’s flowed on into the requests such as can
you just do a cattle handling course for the new
staff. So it has become more of a longer term
relationship which is really good.
Interview with Des
Rinehart, Feedlot R&D
Project Manager, Meat and
Livestock Australia
Could you please explain the need for training in
the feedlot industry?
We have within the industry a training requirement
for new entrants and a retraining need for some of
the longer term employees, at an operative level.
They are the people out there in the feedlot doing
the day to day work activities. We currently have a
downturn in the industry and we are losing a fair
few of our workforce. When we scale up again, we
will have to bring a lot of new recruits in.
What types of training are required?
There’s a training requirement basically in three
areas. The first of those is on the animal health
side of things. And that’s covered by the pen rider’s
course. The second is in the milling of the feed and
the feeding out. That’s covered by the feed milling
component. And then we have another, the third
group in the feedlot, that we call maintenance
people. They’re the fellows that handle all the
manure and manure harvesting process and do
general repairs and maintenance around the
feedlot. In all three areas we’re looking at
qualifications that are at the Certificate Level III,
bordering on Level IV.
Was this need identified by your industry?
Yes, it was. It came out of our strategic planning,
as an area where operators were having a
significant degree of difficulty. We needed to fill
the gap.
Who are the members of your association?
Our members are really operators of feedlots. There
are two elements. There’s the Australian Lot Feeders’
Association: they look after the affairs for the whole of
the industry. And then you have Meat and Livestock
Australia: we’re basically a service provider to the beef
cattle industry. We provide marketing and research and
development (R&D) services and work with the
members to establish what the priorities will be for
R&D.
What pressures do you currently face in your
industry?
A fairly significant pressure at the moment is from the
mining industry. It is very difficult to obtain and retain
employees. Most of the rural industries are facing
exactly that same pressure.
What are some of the incentives for your members to
have better trained employees?
One of the things that we wanted to do was to
actually give the employees themselves some sort of
career path within the industry and some
qualifications. A lot of the feedlots actually put a lot of
effort into training their staff. But there was no formal
qualification associated with it. And then if the
employees left and went to another operation, there
was no recognition of that prior training.
So one of the things we wanted to achieve was a
portable qualification that could travel with the
employee, should he choose to move on. And a lot of
our employees are young people. As they moved
around the industry, we wanted some qualification
that was recognised by all.
How did New England Institute of TAFE become
involved?
Initially we identified the need for a pen riders’
course. Then one of the feedlots actually followed up
with New England TAFE to have a course developed.
As a result of that, there were discussions between
New England Institute, ALFA and myself, and we
decided to broaden it out, to get in place courses to
cover all aspects of the feedlot operation.
So New England TAFE has looked beyond its own
geographical area?
Yes, one of the things that we required was that,
whether you be in Queensland or Western Australia, if
you’re a feedlot operator then we wanted you to
have access to the course. So, we were looking for a
national course with recognised qualifications that
were portable.
Does New England Institute now oversee the
national delivery of the program?
Yes. The majority of the industry is located in
Queensland and New South Wales. So, we’ve been
concentrating on getting it up and running in
Queensland and New South Wales with a view to then
making it available in Victoria and Western Australia
as well.
What are some of the benefits that your members
attribute to the training?
It’s the uniformity in qualifications and the availability
of a structured process for acquiring qualifications.
The majority of the training is done on-site, which is
certainly an advantage in that the operators don’t
lose their employees for a week at a time to go offsite for training. One of the advantages is they keep
their staff on the feedlot.
And it is a structured and uniform training,
whereas before we had a lot of feedlot operators
training their own employees. There was no
guarantee that the training received at one
operation was the same as that at another. So, this
brought some uniformity to it.
Does TAFE use a mixture of delivery techniques?
They have trainers who come to the site, but more
and more they’re moving towards web-based study
as well.
Have you had any feedback about improvement
in quality assurance?
Quality assurance is one of the major aspects of
the program and the feedlot sector was the first
agricultural sector to introduce quality assurance.
We have a quality assurance scheme called the
National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme. The TAFE
program is certainly one of the mechanisms for
reinforcing with the employees the value of that
process.
Are there other benefits for employers like
improved productivity?
They would consider their workforce better trained,
therefore able to do a better job.
45
CASE STUDY 10.
Skilling the entire
workforce: Bega
Cheese and TAFE
NSW – Illawarra
Institute
Introducing Bega Cheese
Bega Cheese is located on the far south coast of NSW
in the town of Bega. The company has existed for over
one hundred years and was until recently Bega Cooperative Society. Bega Cheese is now a limited
company with nearly one hundred local dairy farmers
as shareholders.
Bega Cheese employs about 600 employees locally as
well as about 300 employees at Tatura Milk in Victoria,
where Bega Cheese purchased a 70% stake in 2007.
The Bega-based business is spread over two sites. The
original factory houses the cheese making and milk
receivals section and the second site is a processing
and packaging plant, which was established ten years
ago.
Bega Cheese exports cheese to over 50 counties and
the focuses for the business include future expansion
in the export market and further development of
cheese products. Challenges for Bega Cheese include
recruiting, developing and retaining a skilled
workforce to meet the current and the future business
demand.
46
TAFE NSW – Illawarra Institute has located a Training
Co-ordinator, Michelle Wilkie, at the Bega Cheese
factory, who works closely with the HR team. Apart
from the general supervision of TAFE training, her main
role is to co-ordinate the Certificate III Food Processing
program.
Addressing Bega Cheese’s needs
TAFE is currently providing 120 Bega Cheese trainees
with assessment in Certificate III Food Processing.
Certificate IV is also being offered to Bega Cheese staff
as a succession plan option.
Left to Right, Beth Hart, TAFE NSW ,
Matt Fanning, Bega Cheese, Sue Hoogenbosch,
TAFE NSW
Bega Cheese and TAFE held discussions recently about
implementing a long-term training plan for new
employees. It would start with a casual employee
completing Certificate II Food Processing. On completion of
the course the employee will usually be offered a
permanent position with the company. They would then
move straight into the Certificate Level III Food Processing
program. This sequence would take two years to complete
and the training and assessment would be completed
within a traineeship.
Bega Cheese is currently funding nine employees to
undertake the Certificate IV Training and Assessment
program at Bega TAFE. These employees will be known as
Employee Support Officers and will conduct partial inhouse training as well as help with gap training for
trainees completing Certificate Level II and III Food
Processing.
This training program assists Bega Cheese to address the
challenges of retaining staff as well as rapidly skilling
new staff. Bega Cheese management believe that offering
a new employee these incentives for a future with the
company upon completion of these qualifications can only
strengthen the company’s skill base.
Innovative TAFE responses
TAFE’s assessment tools are specifically written for Bega
Cheese. These tools were developed over approximately
eight years, to fit in with the environment and specific
needs of the company. The tools are regularly reviewed to
ensure their ongoing relevance.
At the start of the traineeship, Wilkie encourages the
trainee to forward any prior qualifications so she can look
for opportunities to offer the recognition of prior learning
(RPL) service. “Qualifications such as a forklift licence are
something we can RPL,” she remarks.
Illawarra Institute’s Wilkie describes a recent initiative of
the partnership:
In the near future as we start to conduct Certificate
II Food Processing, we will be working with Bega
Cheese to develop and share resources. Bega
Cheese will use their Employee Support Officers to
conduct training for core units and in the elective
units. TAFE will assess at the end of the Bega
Cheese training and the trainee’s on-the-job
experience. We will work together to ensure that
the units required are covered and that the
resources are shared.
Wilkie explains the common challenges that need to be
worked through, in providing services:
Some challenges faced are co-ordinating the access
to trainees for assessments during production time,
especially the two hours off-line core units
assessment. Pressures in production mean we don’t
always have access when we would like. However,
a strong ongoing commitment to training by Bega
TAFE and Bega Cheese ensure that these challenges
do not get in the way of completing the
traineeships in a timely manner.
External cooperation
The TAFE workplace assessors have access to the factory
in both Bega sites at any time of the day. Bega Cheese
has a rotating roster over five days per week and 24
hours per day and trainees can be located in all
departments over the three shifts.
Regular meetings are held by Bega Cheese with the
TAFE Co-ordinator and assessors to discuss efficient and
effective ways to assess at Bega Cheese. The assessors
assess the trainees both off-line and on-line under very
challenging conditions in a busy production operation.
The assessment tools are adjusted to fit in with these
conditions.
The use of shared and uniform training resources
replaced the previous practice where each TAFE
teacher/assessor involved in the Certificate II Food
Processing developed his or her own training resources
to train at the Certificate II level. These shared
resources were compiled after experience gained
during on-line assessment in the factory.
Workforce development benefits
Other outcomes for client
Outcomes include employees’ willingness to participate in training once
they are exposed to the programs offered and the convenient way they
are structured: for example, certificates are completed on-the-job within
shift time. “Some trainees after completing one qualification express a
desire to continue to the next level,” says Wilkie.
She explains how Bega Cheese receives information from TAFE about
future training needs:
Innovative TAFE responses helped Bega Cheese to
develop new approaches to career development. As
noted above, Bega Cheese is about to implement an
ongoing training program for employees from the very
start of their employment as a casual employee with
Bega Cheese, through to being offered a permanent
position upon completion of the Certificate II.
During the Certificate III Food Processing program we ask the trainee
to complete a self assessment before we meet for assessment. Once
this self assessment is reviewed I then recommend to Bega Cheese
those trainees/employees that need gap training. Bega Cheese then
conducts this training to ensure that the trainee is at the required
level before we assess. This has been a good way of highlighting
future training needs.
TAFE has helped Bega Cheese to integrate on-the-job
skills development with strategies for growth,
investment and productivity, says TAFE’s Wilkie. She
explains how TAFE staff provide Bega Cheese with
valuable business information arising from the training
program:
Wilkie says that another benefit of this commitment to training and
workforce development by Bega Cheese is that “it is able to promote to
its customers, here and overseas, that they have a workforce involved in
training and that the majority are at the Certificate level III”.
To aim for a workforce with the goal of a
minimum skills base at AQF Level III has
highlighted the need for ongoing training at Bega
Cheese. During the traineeship we put forward to
Bega Cheese where we think the knowledge gaps
exist and what training could be beneficial. We
also assist their training staff with information and
advice regarding their in-house tracking of
competencies of each role within the company.
TAFE staff capabilities
The workplace assessors who make up the TAFE team at Bega Cheese
have backgrounds in fields such as food production, the trades and
education. These backgrounds mean the TAFE team can bring a range of
skills to Bega Cheese. “An understanding of factory work and the
company is an asset that the assessors possess,” comments Wilkie. She
adds:
Each assessor spends time getting to know each trainee, especially
in their initial assessment. This is a time where the assessor can
assure the trainee that achieving this qualification is possible - as
factory workers tend to lack confidence with education.
The assessors pass on concerns, feedback and general comments to
myself for further discussion as to the way in which we conduct the
traineeship and relevancy to each position.
47
Case study 10. Skilling the entire workforce: Bega Cheese and TAFE NSW – Illawarra Institute
“Our assessors develop relationships
with staff from all areas of the factory,
and some of the assessors have been at
Bega Cheese for 5 years,” says Wilkie.
“They tread a fine line sometimes as
assessor, and not trainer, so they have
to communicate in a way that
encourages the trainee to answer, but
not give away the answer.”
Adaptive TAFE staff adjust their
language to suit their students:
48
TAFE has a language all of its own
and the assessors are expert in
communicating it in a way that the
factory worker can understand. This
takes a great understanding of the
workplace and the units involved.
TAFE institute capacities
The Bega Cheese partnership involves
more than just teaching staff at
Illawarra Institute, says Wilkie: “The
Curriculum Centre was initially very
responsive and supportive of this
project. As the project has extended
over the years, IT staff have assisted as
well.”
Interview with Matthew
Fanning, HR Manager, Bega
Cheese
So, certainly TAFE has been able to skill themselves up in terms of their
resources and their capacity to deliver some of those higher level
certificate qualifications and that perhaps wasn’t the case when we first
partnered with them in the late ‘90s. They’ve certainly improved a lot
as Bega Cheese has grown.
Matthew, could you please talk about the relationship
with TAFE?
Has TAFE developed a better understanding of your workforce?
The relationship we’ve had with Bega TAFE probably spans
a little over ten years now. And over that time TAFE has
been at the forefront of helping to deliver what I’d call a
foundation level of knowledge, particularly in the area of
food processing - Certificate II and III of food processing and also Certificate III in transport and distribution for our
supply chain staff. We’ve had a program in place with TAFE
over the majority of those ten years where they deliver the
Certificate II and III programs essentially on-site through
on-the-job assessment and training. But that was also
augmented, particularly in the Certificate II arena, in years
gone by, by some short periods of off-the-job training
which was typically conducted in the Bega Cheese training
facility.
Have you seen TAFE improve its service for you?
Yes, I would say definitely yes. In the very early days going
back to ‘97, ‘98, when we opened our cutting and packing
plant here in Bega, our staff numbers increased from
something like 80 to 150 within a fairly short period of
time. At that time TAFE was delivering Certificate Level I for
food processing, which is a basic qualification. They were
delivering that largely through our induction processes, in
the first week or so of people joining the company. Over
time, that has developed to the extent that we now
deliver Certificates II and III. TAFE has also assisted in
delivering Certificate IV Level of Frontline Management
over a couple of years back in the early 2000s. We’re also
currently looking at some options around Certificate IV in
laboratory operations.
Yes, but perhaps more to the point would be the fact that they’ve
needed to get to understand the business pretty well in terms of what
really happens when you manufacture cheese in a fast-paced
manufacturing environment, and how that relates to the training and
the skills that the people need for the different levels within the
business. Entry level requirements are obviously a little less particular
than those, for example, for people actually operating the equipment
to make the cheese. So, they’ve certainly needed to have an
understanding of the structure of career progression within Bega Cheese
and the skill expectations at each different level.
I understand TAFE has located someone on your site for some
considerable time.
Yes, that is true. Probably for six or seven years we’ve had a TAFE
coordinator on-site, typically up to two days a week, assisting in the
whole process of enrolling our people in traineeships and then
obviously the process of teaching and assessing people, largely on the
job. We’ve had in excess of 200 trainees go through the program. It’s
probably closer to 300 now, which means half of our workforce
completing Certificate II and or III. The majority of those have been coordinated through the on-site TAFE representative, so that’s all part of
their service. There’s no additional charge for that as such: that’s just
one part of the resources that TAFE have been prepared to put on site
to make it work.
Besides having a staff member on site, in what other
ways has TAFE been flexible?
Have you seen TAFE move from talking about training,
to wanting to talk about your business?
They’ve been flexible in terms of access to our people
because some times things change and they might
have appointments with individuals or groups of
people to conduct training or to do assessment work
with them, or to just to sign them up and explain the
process. Sometimes those things don’t go according to
plan in a production environment and they can’t have
those people available. So, TAFE need to be flexible in
terms of the deployment of their resources within Bega
Cheese and they’ve generally been very, very good at
that. Not an easy task.
Yes, definitely. We’ve generally dealt with a fairly stable
group of people within TAFE which has been good, in
that we’ve always found them quite interested in
developing the relationship with Bega Cheese, even
from the very early days, and they didn’t project
themselves just as a classroom-based institute. They’ve
actually developed a very strong working relationship
with Bega Cheese. They’ve always had a pretty strong
interest in getting involved with Bega Cheese in an onsite capacity, which was quite refreshing.
And we’ve done some ancillary type of training. I
mentioned Frontline Management Certificate IV
but TAFE has also assisted us in some other areas
such as Certificate IV Training and Assessment.
We currently have a group of people going
through that program and while that’s actually
at TAFE, it’s a program they’ve structured for staff
at Bega Cheese. I think we have nine people
involved in that program, so they’ve somewhat
tailored that to the requirements of their role at
Bega Cheese. It’s great that we’re able to get
that sort of flexibility in the training.
What have been some of the benefits that you’ve
seen from working with TAFE?
In finishing, do you have any overall comments
on TAFE and the way it’s worked with you?
We’ve been able to develop a foundation of knowledge
across the vast majority of our operationally-based
employees that is approaching 400 people. We’ve been
able to deliver a consistent and well-structured
foundation of training around the food processing
competencies. That’s a benefit most definitely for our
business, as we look to compete with other
organisations and we look to meet local and
international audit standards from our customers and
suppliers and we’re able to demonstrate that we have a
well-trained workforce qualified to an agreed level. So,
that’s certainly been excellent.
Overall it’s been a very effective relationship and
continues to be. It’s grown and diversified. We’ve
certainly found that the prime people we’ve
dealt with here in TAFE have been professional
and very interested in Bega Cheese, pretty
accommodating in terms of their flexibility and
patient during what is sometimes a frustrating
environment when you’re trying to run a
business and also train people up, particularly in
a fast-growing business.
TAFE have also needed to be flexible in terms of the
fact that we work shift work. They’ve been flexible
with their assessment processes and their training
schedules to support the fact that we have people on
night shift working from 10pm at night to 6am in the
morning. We often have one of our assessors, Trevor,
regularly stroll around the place at 10 o’clock at night,
catching up with night shift workers, on their training
requirements.
TAFE have also been pretty flexible with respect to
looking at the introduction of new courses such as
when we introduced Certificate III of food processing.
They didn’t previously have a lot of expertise in that
area because frankly, there aren’t that many food
processing facilities in the Illawarra. So, TAFE did quite
a lot of homework in developing their abilities to
actually deliver that program for Bega Cheese. That
certainly showed a bit of flexibility there. The
flexibility’s been an important factor for us.
There are benefits from Bega’s perspective too. We’ve
been able to deliver most of that in a cost neutral sense
in terms of actual money spent on training. We’ve been
able to access traineeship arrangements through the
Federal government, with TAFE’s support.
While there’s an indirect cost of releasing people for
training, the actual training has been relatively costfree. The other benefit is that training has been
delivered on-the-job or at least at Bega Cheese, as
opposed to having to have our employees trudge off to
another facility within the region. That’s been beneficial
also.
TAFE’s been very patient at times and very
professional in their dealings and certainly open
too. If we have issues or problems, they’re happy
to sit down and work through those to help
protect and develop the relationship. From our
perspective, we’re fairly fortunate that we’ve had
the opportunity to develop a very good
commercial relationship with TAFE here in Bega,
because in these regional areas, there are very
few options to deliver such training. Having TAFE
here has worked well.
49
50
Snapshots
Snapshot 1. Adding value in a business cooperative:
HunterNet and TAFE NSW – Hunter Institute
52
Snapshot 2. Raising the status of jobs:
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (NSW Branch) and
TAFE NSW – North Coast Institute
54
Snapshot 3. Aligning training with job roles:
Bemax and TAFE NSW – Western Institute
56
Snapshot 4. Providing locals with career development:
Hyne Timber and TAFE NSW – Riverina Institute
58
Snapshot 5. Recognising the skills of experienced staff:
RAAF and TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Institute
60
Snapshot 6. Rejuvenating an ageing workforce:
Department of Lands and TAFE NSW – Sydney Institute
62
Snapshot 7. Embedding the fundamentals of workforce development:
Baker and Provan and TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Institute
64
Snapshot 8. Assisting workforce planning:
Armidale Dumaresq Council and TAFE NSW – New England Institute
66
51
SNAPSHOT 1.
Adding value in
a business
cooperative:
HunterNet and
TAFE NSW – Hunter
Institute
Introducing HunterNet
HunterNet is a cooperative of engineering industry
manufacturers in the Hunter region of NSW. Individual
members have unique training requirements and their
cooperative partnership, of which TAFE NSW – Hunter
Institute is a part, has helped to meet those
requirements.
The Hunter region has, and continues to experience,
skills shortages and a common need of businesses is
the recruitment and management of apprentices, says
Robert Wolter, Faculty Director, Industry and Natural
Resources, Hunter Institute.
Many small businesses find it difficult to
understand the VET system and also doubt their
ability to take on a training contract for an
apprentice in a volatile business environment.
52
As a consequence of these challenges, the HunterNet
cooperative started its own group training company HunterNet Group Training.
TAFE NSW – Hunter Institute was integral to the
establishment of HunterNet Group Training and is the
RTO for all apprentices and trainees. Robert Wolter is a
member of the Group Training organisation board.
Wolter also participates in the HunterNet committee
responsible for training, which responds to requests
from members on matters related to the training
market and other training requirements. To further
enhance collaboration, the Executive Officer of
HunterNet, John Coyle, serves on the Board of TAFE
NSW – Hunter Institute.
Innovative TAFE responses
Left, John Coyle, HunterNet
Right, Rob Wolter, TAFE NSW
Three examples follow of how the Hunter Institute has
responded to the diverse requirements of HunterNet
members.
First, EDI won a contract to build over 600 rail cars for the
NSW State Government. EDI then recognised the need in
its workforce for higher level skills in manufacturing, so
Hunter Institute was engaged to provide training in
competitive manufacturing for EDI employees. This
program is delivered entirely on site and has been
customised to the needs of EDI.
“EDI has been able to show ‘bottom line’ improvements
as a result of this training,” says Wolter.
The EDI program of competitive manufacturing
improves work practices at the plant by adopting high
performance work flows. The program was so
successful at the Cardiff site than EDI is now
implementing the same program at their Kooragang
Island maintenance depot.
The elegance of the program is that each participant
is engaged in learning through project work, on the
job. Part of the assessment of competence is based on
how a project will benefit the company.
Second, Pearl Street provides non-destructive testing
(NDT) services to the energy and infrastructure industries
throughout Australia. The Hunter Institute provided the
required elements of training for each method of NDT
through an innovative on-line program that involved
students from Queensland, Victoria and NSW. Students
completing the one year full time traineeship receive a
Certificate III in Mechanical Engineering and qualify for
Australian Institute of Non Destructive Testing level II
technician status.
Third, Hunter Institute partnered with HunterNet, NSW
Department of Education and Training (DET) and Alliance
People Solutions to undertake a research project funded
by DET to examine the training needs of the Hunter
mining industry. The project brief is to determine the
training needs and where possible, conduct the training.
Hunter Institute has first option as the training provider,
and has nearly completed the research and training.
Workforce development benefits
The overall benefit of the partnership between HunterNet
and Hunter Institute is that HunterNet has access to
experts that help guide members through the maze of the
VET training market, says Wolter.
We have input into the development of the
cooperative’s business plans and running of the group
training company. An outcome of this is a raised level
of customer service for individual members when
dealing with under-performing apprentices. Any issues
related to TAFE studies are immediately passed on to
host companies and HunterNet, as the employer.
TAFE capabilities and capacities
The capability of Hunter Institute staff is the key to the
success of all of these programs, says Wolter.
These people combine business acumen, personal
drive, technical knowledge and a genuine passion for
training. Through a series of training, coaching and
mentoring programs, the enthusiasm of these people
is spreading.
The Hunter Institute is ideally placed to help develop the
workforce of the Hunter manufacturing community,
believes Wolter.
Not only do we have an excellent relationship with
HunterNet, but also with the Australian Industry Group,
schools and the University of Newcastle. These
relationships add to the capacity of the Institute to
respond to training needs of the business community
and aspiring individuals.
Interview with John Coyle,
Executive Officer, HunterNet
What are the special training requirements of
businesses in HunterNet?
The range of skills required for industry and business is
significantly greater now than in the past. TAFE has to
respond to that and provide customised programs. It is far
more complex, much harder, than before.
What is the challenge for TAFE?
TAFE’s major challenge is to stay relevant to industry’s
evolving requirements and to compete with other RTOs. I
think it’s a big test for TAFE but I believe that TAFE now
has the appropriate strategies in place, and is using its
strengths to meet these challenges. TAFE now has to do a
good job of selling its capabilities to industry and
establish its position against other RTOs.
53
SNAPSHOT 2.
Raising the status
of jobs:
Pharmaceutical
Society of Australia
(NSW Branch) and
TAFE NSW – North
Coast Institute
54
Introducing the PSA
PSA’s needs and challenges
There are almost 5000 community pharmacies in
Australia with approximately 1,500 located in NSW and
ACT. The major ‘banner groups’ that service the needs
of the community pharmacy sector include the
following: Symbion Health; Pharmacy Choice, Terry
White and Chemmart brands; Australian
Pharmaceutical Industries (API); Priceline, Soul
Pattinson Chemist, Pharmacist Advice and Chem World
Chemist brands; and SIGMA, Amcal, Guardian and
Amcal Max brands.
As a whole, the community pharmacy industry needs to
continually meet the following challenges, notes Rodney
Leane, Client Account Manager, from TAFE NSW – North Coast
Institute:
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) is the
national professional organisation for pharmacists in
Australia. It is an umbrella organisation and is focused
on education and advocacy, fostering specialist
practice, and setting practice standards for the
pharmacy profession. The PSA has its headquarters in
Canberra and offices in all Australian capital cities and
is committed to supporting the training needs of the
pharmaceutical industry.
PSA (NSW Branch) has a strong history of direct
engagement with the workforce development needs of
the industry. It is active in the provision of direct
education solutions and also supports the development
of educational resources to assist all pharmacists in
improving the quality use of medicines and the
delivery of advanced patient care.
Continuous improvement in the delivery of its services,
including training, is integral to the PSA retaining its
position within the national pharmaceutical sector and
is a key driver of the organisation’s development and
growth.
Left, Rod Leane, TAFE NSW
Right, Steven Drew, Pharmaceutical Society
of Australia (NSW)
•
attracting high quality staff
•
assisting staff retention
•
accessing cost effective staff training
•
developing training delivery options to meet the variety
of staff learning needs and locations of pharmacies
•
providing training for specialist staff as dispensary
assistants.
Innovative TAFE responses
The complexities and challenges impacting on the
community pharmacy industry and on the PSA NSW’s position
in relation to workforce development called for a set of
innovative responses from North Coast Institute to achieve
meaningful outcomes, says Leane.
TAFE’s responses included negotiation of a high-level
‘umbrella agreement’ and ongoing consultation with the PSA
NSW Council and concurrent direct networking with PSA NSW
members and other community pharmacy industry
stakeholders to identify workforce development needs and
priorities.
The partnership contributed directly to workforce
development by North Coast Institute providing access to
funding to improve entry-level skills for the industry. This
funding was specifically used to support the delivery of prevocational courses for the community pharmacy sector. The
courses focused on incorporating skills in basic retail,
highlighting point-of-sale knowledge, promoting personal
presentation appropriate to the industry, and developing
work readiness to improve productivity returns to pharmacy
owners from first-time employees.
The training was at AQTF certificate level II and
provided advanced standing in traineeships at this
level. Work placement was also an integral element
of this skills development, and was achieved
through the co-operation of many PSA member
pharmacists, says Leane.
Under the partnership, the separate experience and
expertise of both partners in the delivery of
training and workforce support to the community
pharmacy sector was integrated to build a jointly
resourced and dual-branded model for traineeship
delivery across Certificate II, III, and IV level.
Workforce development benefits
PSA NSW member pharmacies and other industry
parties, including non-PSA member pharmacies and
their staff, as well as the broader community
pharmacy sector have benefited from the joint
commitment of North Coast Institute and PSA NSW’s
commitment to workforce development in the
following ways, says Stephanie Manion Team,
Leader Business Support, North Coast Institute:
Progress has been achieved in the attraction of
new staff to the industry. Progress has been
achieved in retaining staff through the upskilling of staff and/or recognition of existing
staff skills.
We have also jointly developed a traineeship
model which successfully assists pharmacies to
integrate on-the-job skills development
achieving productivity and investment benefits.
The traineeship model which extends access to
nationally accredited qualifications to
community pharmacy sector staff previously
denied that opportunity.
Interview with Steven Drew, CEO PSA (NSW)
How important is your partnership with North Coast Institute of TAFE?
From our perspective, partnering with TAFE means partnering with those who
have the knowledge and expertise behind them to provide training. No matter
how hard we would try, we don’t have the resources, the capacity, the
understanding, the know-how, in terms of the actual delivery of the training in
this context.
In terms of being partners you expect them now to understand your business?
Yes, and they do. What is most impressive about them is that as an organisation
they make a point of getting to know our business, getting to know pharmacy.
They didn’t come to us and say ‘boy, have we got an opportunity for you’. They
made a point of getting to know our business and that makes it easy when
we’re having discussions about the way forward. Our contract with them expires
at the end of this year and I personally am very keen to see that relationship
continue.
Has the relationship grown?
Absolutely. Another thing that I certainly appreciate is being able to have a very
open and frank conversation with TAFE and explore what happens next and
where we can be going with this relationship. That is incredibly useful. I feel
very, very comfortable with how the relationship has grown.
Does TAFE understand your workforce needs for the future?
Absolutely. We see pharmacy assistants as more than just retail people. They’re
not just there front of store, front of shop, to sell perfume and say would you
like soap with that, at the checkout. I believe that North Coast understands
that and is committed to that as well.
North Coast TAFE has been incredibly easy to deal with because there is that
willingness to learn. They haven’t been afraid to ask questions.
55
SNAPSHOT 3.
Aligning training
with job roles:
Bemax and TAFE
NSW – Western
Institute
Introducing Bemax
Addressing Bemax’s needs
Bemax Resources Limited is located in the remote far
west of the NSW. Its 24-hour-a-day operations consist
of Ginkgo Mine, located approximately 250 kilometres
south-east of Broken Hill and 40 kilometres west of
Pooncarie in the Murray Basin, and the Minerals
Separation Plant at Broken Hill.
Bemax formed a training partnership with TAFE NSW –
Western Institute because it needed an RTO who could
provide a ‘one stop shop’ for current and future training
needs, says Ellen Clifford, a Faculty Business Officer at
Western Institute.
The Ginkgo Mine produces eight to twelve million
tonnes of ore annually through its dredging operations
with concentrate being transported to the processing
plant in Broken Hill. Approximately 60 staff are
employed at the Ginkgo Mine.
The Minerals Separation Plant at Broken Hill processes
and separates the heavy mineral concentrate for
distribution to customers within Australia and
internationally. It employs 20 administrative staff and
60 mineral processing staff who support the 24-hour
operation of the plant.
56
Bemax’s challenges and needs
Because of its remote location, a major challenge for
Bemax is gaining access to nationally recognised
workplace training and assessment services. Bemax’s
partnership with TAFE NSW – Western Institute provides
a comprehensive solution to that need.
Other challenges for Bemax include skilling a
workforce predominantly drawn from farms and with
very little or no mining experience, and providing
training to suit shift workers’ rosters, shift supervisors’
requirements and production schedules.
Jessica Urquhart, Bemax
Bemax’s determination to recruit locally has led to
employment for unskilled and Indigenous workers
from the region. Bemax’s commitment to ongoing
training offers career progression opportunities to its
employees while providing succession planning options
that ensure the stability of its workforce into the
future.
Bemax engaged Western Institute because we
demonstrated a strong “can do attitude”, not letting
distance, a delivery pattern well outside core hours or
other training challenges interfere with a successful
outcome for employees and management.
Bemax calls us a “one stop shop”. We don’t just
support direct mining related courses, but service all
training needs across the business.
The Institute staff identified very early into the training
planning process that the locally recruited workforce often
had literacy and numeracy issues. These were addressed
“by designing basic and precise initial training with an
emphasis on practical demonstration of competence,”
says Clifford.
Bemax is committed to building career pathways for its
staff, acknowledges Clifford:
It recognises that offering career progression
opportunities through training contributes to building
a loyal, skilled workforce, fundamental to the future
growth of the business.
Innovative TAFE responses
The design, development and delivery of the training
program at the Murray Basin Operations has to take into
account the hours and shifts mine employees work - well
outside normal business hours. In addition, the mine’s
remote location means the training programs need to be
delivered with great flexibility, often at night or at other
times suitable for the employees, notes Clifford.
Initially, time was spent determining programs then trialling them to
find the right fit. Bemax and Western Institute now regularly review
and modify resources to consolidate student assessments and
activities into single workbooks that form a valuable employee
resource.
Bemax conducts mineral sands mining and processing operations and
operators use a different package of skills at the Broken Hill Plant than
at the Ginkgo Mine. Although operators in both locations completed
Certificate II in Extractive Industries Operations, their training plans were
carefully customised to address the specific components of their job
roles.
At Certificate III level and above, job roles become more specialised and
align with the Metalliferous Mining Training Package, adds Clifford.
Western Institute works with Bemax to map each job role and
function to ensure the best fit with national units in the Processing
and Open Cut streams for the Broken Hill Plant and Ginkgo Mine
operators respectively.
Workforce development benefits
People are the biggest asset to Bemax now and for the future success of
the business, explains Clifford.
Bemax has built a skilled, loyal workforce by investing substantial
amounts in staff development and treating all employees with
respect. In an industry with high staff turnover, Bemax boasts low
staff turnover because staff are committed to a company that shows
commitment to them.
Bemax places a higher value on employing people with good work
ethics than on those with existing skills, recognising that skills may
be taught, but ethical standards cannot be taught. This policy has
ensured a dedicated workforce exists. As Bemax expands, its
existing skilled workforce supports new untrained personnel.
Due to the extensive training undertaken by staff, supervisors now have
the confidence that all employees in their work crews will perform tasks
in an efficient and safe manner, says Clifford.
Because of its integration into the working day or night, training has
been successfully delivered without impeding production targets or
deadlines. In fact, training has contributed to increased productivity
with enhanced mineral sand recovery rates at the mine.
Interview with Jessica
Urquhart, Training and
Development officer,
Bemax
What do you look for TAFE to understand about
Bemax?
I need TAFE to understand the rosters, to
understand what we need to achieve from that
training, deliveries, timeframes, to make sure that
the people understand the training and can see
that it’ll fit into their job roles. So, whenever I
organise training I always let the TAFE trainers
know what the participants’ job titles are and their
general function so that the trainers can tailor their
program.
What sort of tailoring do you look for?
Specifically with the project management program,
it involves more of our maintenance personnel, so
the training will be very tailored to fixing
machinery, commissioning new equipment,
something that’s very specific to maintenance.
Do you want the individual employee to keep
learning after their program ends?
Yes, not just to keep learning but to add value to
their role. To be able to teach others as they’re
coming up through the ranks and for it to be in the
perspective of their career goal. Although I
wouldn’t throw someone in on a course because it
will add value for us. They need to also want to do
it and be interested in it as well.
So you look to TAFE to understand that
thinking on your part?
Yes.
What sorts of things have you seen so far
from TAFE, from TAFE’s Paul Mascord for
instance?
Basically anything we’ve asked, they’ve
basically said ‘yes, we’ll get back to you’
and basically have said ‘what do you want?’
They’ve said this in all circumstances so far.
Paul is very much customer focused, so
when he comes out here to perform training
he’ll let us know when he’s coming out and
he’ll come and meet with us first. TAFE
conform with what we need.
I understand the TAFE trainer has an
industry background. Is that valuable for
you?
Yes, very much so. The guys that are
assessed and trained by Paul have a good
understanding. They don’t find it
intimidating that they’re being assessed by
TAFE. It’s more of a personal level. He can
relate to the guys and relate to what they’re
doing.
TAFE trainers have a very good knowledge of
task and they can understand us: it’s like
breathing for them. It’s as natural as
breathing; it comes easily to Paul. He can
walk in and train and assess people
Do you see TAFE as part of your ongoing
support for workforce planning and
development?
Yes.
57
SNAPSHOT 4.
Providing locals
with career
development: Hyne
Timber and TAFE
NSW – Riverina
Institute
58
Introducing Hyne Timber
Innovative TAFE responses
Hyne Timber is a large, privately-owned timber
processing organisation with a major operation at the
Tumbarumba mill in NSW. TAFE NSW – Riverina
Institute’s work with Hyne Timber to date has focussed
on the Tumbarumba mill where approximately 250
people are employed in management, administration
and a broad range of activities required in the
processing of timber.
Riverina Institute uses a range of services to support Hyne
Timber in achieving desired outcomes, explains Doug
Porritt, Riverina Institute’s Business Development
Manager, Tumut Region:
Hyne Timber processes pine plantation logs into
timbers for various applications in construction, for
example framing timbers and structural beams. The
Tumbarumba mill was rebuilt in 2004 to increase
capacity and be at the cutting edge of technological
advancement. The cost of the rebuild was
approximately $120m and the mill is now the largest
softwoods processing mill in the southern hemisphere.
Addressing Hyne Timber’s needs
Immediate human resource challenges faced by Hyne
Timber at the Tumbarumba mill include attracting
potential employees with adequate literacy and
numeracy skills, and then providing training that
allows the employee to operate effectively.
Riverina Institute has a written agreement with Hyne
Timber, reviewed annually, to supply training services
to the Tumbarumba mill for the provision of training to
trainees and for other training as required. The current
trainee model involves Riverina Institute supplying
training and assessment in core competencies at the
mill on a regular basis, with technical training and
assessments delivered by qualified mill personnel.
Left, David Murtagh, Hyne Timber
Right, Doug Porritt, TAFE NSW
The main model of assessment and training delivery
includes recognition of prior learning (RPL) processes
offered to all staff, face-to-face training in core
competencies, and training at the work station as
required.
The Business Development Manager regularly meets
with Hyne personnel to review current and past
training activity and contribute to the training
calendar of the next year. The Campus Manager,
Forestry Training Manager and Business Development
Manager work at a range of levels with Hyne to
devise and offer career pathways in the Hyne
organisation and service and product providers upstream and down-stream of the Hyne processes.
In addition, says Porritt:
Where Riverina Institute isn’t always able to directly
supply training from within our organisation, Riverina
Institute acts as a conduit or contractor to training
providers who are compliant with Riverina Institute’s
systems requirements.
Workforce development benefits
Through working on-site at the mill and through meetings
with Hyne Timber staff, Riverina Institute personnel have
come to understand the desired outcomes of the training
activity by Hyne Timber, producing substantial benefits,
says Porritt:
This has brought about a close ‘partnering’
arrangement that has shown to be very satisfactory to
Hyne Timber in recognising innovation, continuous
improvement strategies, recruiting ‘best fit’
employees and retaining employees through
opportunity at the mill.
As career development is encouraged and accredited
training is part of career development, staff turnover
is minimised. Also some operators are moving towards
creating opportunity for themselves within the
company. Hyne Timber is keen to support those who
wish to move through the organisation.
Interview with David
Murtagh, Human Resource
Manager, Hyne Timber
Could you please talk about your relationship with
Riverina Institute?
I have found the Riverina TAFE and particularly Doug
Porritt very understanding of our needs to be able to
do hands on training and structure the training to suit
our business needs. I found Doug very understanding
of our business needs and open to discussion about
different approaches. Riverina TAFE has been
supportive of Hyne developing our internal training
and assessment mechanisms, and training our people
to assess against our procedures and assessments. I
have found that really refreshing.
Was that partly because Doug and others took the
time to get to know your business better?
I believe so. Doug is always very amenable to coming
out and talking about ideas and having a meeting with
myself and other key people involved on the side. If I
rang and said ‘Doug, any chance of getting you out
here for an hour or two and having a talk with us?’,
within the week he’d be out there and we’d be having
a meeting about any concerns or issues.
What did you expect or need TAFE to understand
about your business?
Certainly they needed to understand that even
though the educational level in the timber industry
is increasing significantly every year, a lot of the
guys are still hands on types of people who don’t
like classroom situations. They need to learn on the
job.
We also needed TAFE to understand that it wasn’t a
matter of taking a competency off the shelf from
the Training Package, and being able to apply it to
our business. It just doesn’t work to do that. It
doesn’t even remotely match up in a lot of areas.
We needed to be able to develop our own internal
competencies and assessments and align them to
the elements in the Training Package and have
TAFE accept that and run with that and train to
that.
And the other thing that our training programs
needed to be able to accommodate is that
basically we are a five days a week if not six days
a week, 24-hour operation. I have found TAFE very
flexible and understanding of these needs.
How do TAFE staff relate to you?
TAFE staff have developed a strong business
partnership with Hyne personnel and are involved
in the ongoing development of the workforce. We
spend a lot of time basically brainstorming about
ideas on workforce development and training and
development plans and career path planning.
Hyne and TAFE have worked together to
understand Hyne’s business needs. Together with
TAFE, Hyne have been able to develop a training
approach to support the ongoing development of
our staff.
Riverina TAFE and Hyne engage in regular
conversation about how can we develop stronger
partnerships to support Hyne’s plans? What are
Hyne’s plans for our trainees and our business
needs over the next couple of years? How can TAFE
provide and support our training program to best
support Hyne’s strategic objectives? TAFE
understands those processes.
What are the major benefits of working with
TAFE?
I think it’s been a benefit to both the community
and Hyne in developing and strengthening the
skills of local people and providing career
opportunities in the region. From a business
perspective, the biggest one is that TAFE’s
experience, knowledge and adaptability has
enabled Hyne to develop workplace relevant and
structured training programs for all of our
operational positions. It brings legitimacy to our
internal training.
59
SNAPSHOT 5.
Recognising the
skills of experienced
staff: RAAF and TAFE
NSW – Western
Sydney Institute
Introducing the RAAF
Innovative TAFE responses
Recently the Information Communication and
Technology (ICT) services within the Royal Australian
Air Force (RAAF) were outsourced to an external
organisation. This led to ICT staff members either
opting for a redundancy package or accepting
employment with the new organisation.
The recognition program designed by Western Sydney
Institute was customised to meet the needs of RAAF and
involved a flexible and learner-focused approach. It
included the following activities: group information
sessions were held at the four different RAAF centres;
meetings were conducted with individuals to assist them
in identifying the qualifications best suited to their skills
and work experience; and the validation of candidates’
portfolio of evidence was undertaken on an individual
basis.
Some RAAF staff members had qualifications but not
necessarily in the information technology (IT) field,
some had vendor qualifications, and others had no
qualifications. The latter were long-term employees
who had worked their way up through the ranks.
However all of them had vast experience and useful,
practical IT skills.
The RAAF managers wanted to provide their staff with
options, says Western Sydney Institute IT teacher,
Nandita Mathur:
60
They did identify that most of the IT staff had the
skills but they did not have any formal
qualifications and they wanted to go about getting
those formal qualifications for their staff in the
most sort of effective manner. Obviously staff
didn’t have time to go to TAFE and attend classes,
but they weren’t aware that TAFE could come to
them and look at whatever work they’re doing at
the workplace and assess them based on that.
Western Sydney Institute was engaged to deliver a
skills assessment and recognition program for the
RAAF at the following bases: Glenbrook, Holsworthy,
Richmond and Shoalhaven.
Whitney Rousham, TAFE NSW
The current skills of participants were mapped to the
relevant units of competence from the National Training
Packages in Information and Communication Technology.
For some RAAF staff, this program involved gap training
and assessment to enable each individual to gain a full
qualification in their area of expertise.
The program was developed and implemented in close
consultation with ICT Managers and staff from RAAF, says
Whitney Rousham, Director, National Commercial Business,
Western Sydney Institute:
Group information sessions, profile meetings and
interviews with the employees at RAAF helped the
TAFE staff to identify individual needs and provide
flexible tools for skills assessment. Extensive
networking between both parties has been the key to
success.
TAFE’s Mathur explained how the wishes of the two
groups of staff were accommodated:
Some had already been offered positions with the
new organisation, so from that point of view we knew
what position they were going into, and that often
drove the qualifications that they wanted. The ones
that weren’t going on to the new organisation had
ideas what they wanted after being in Defence. Then
we proposed the qualification they required, around
that information.
Workforce development benefits
The program generally acknowledged the
services of RAAF’s experienced staff members,
gave them recognition for current skills, and
provided them with access to advice on future
career pathways.
Specifically for the staff joining the organisation
that was taking over the RAAF’s ICT services,
the recognition service provided an opportunity
for them to acquire new qualifications to take
forward with them to their new employer.
For all the personnel who gained new
qualifications, prospects for career
advancement were enhanced.
Interview with Kyle Murphy,
Western Sydney ICT Manager,
RAAF
I understand that TAFE has responded to a need to
provide recognition services for your IT staff.
Yes, they have provided recognition services, RPL, for
some staff who were offered voluntary redundancy or
jobs with the company taking over the IT work. Some
of these staff had been with us in Defence for in
excess of 20 years.
I imagine the RPL needed to be done well and
sensitively.
It needed to be done well, yes. And TAFE did it well.
From the feedback from the people involved, they
were very happy with what they achieved from it,
and the way TAFE handled it. TAFE gave them plenty
of information and detail.
What challenges did TAFE face?
It was over a large area, it wasn’t one particular site,
it was over a number of sites, it was geographically
dispersed: there was a two to three hour driving
distance between some of the locations. I believe
TAFE even used down south one of the TAFEs down
there, for some of our people.
Did TAFE get its head around your business and
what you really needed in this case?
Yes, definitely.
61
SNAPSHOT 6.
Rejuvenating an
ageing workforce:
Department of
Lands and TAFE
NSW – Sydney
Institute
Introducing Lands
Innovative TAFE responses
The Lands Department of NSW (‘Lands’) is the manager
of all spatial information and property related records
in NSW and has a duty of care for the ongoing
professionalism of the workforce charged with creating
and maintaining critically important land area
measurement and recording systems within the state.
The Lands Department stipulated the need for staff to be
trained to meet both their current and future needs. To
determine those needs an analysis of job function was
conducted by Sydney Institute in consultation with Lands.
A skills test to assist in selection of the applicants was
devised and administered by staff from Sydney Institute.
Client needs
The approach taken by Sydney Institute was to customise
the Certificate III in Spatial Information Services to meet
Lands’ requirements. A two-year training program was
developed which included both face-to-face and on-thejob delivery. The program was conducted successfully over
the past four-five years and resulted in three groups of
trainees passing the course and securing employment.
Like many other Australian organisations, Lands has an
ageing workforce, and impending retirements threaten
to create knowledge gaps in the organisation.
Meanwhile, the Department has implemented a series
of major projects aimed at modernising the legal title
of properties in NSW and this will require an influx into
its current staff numbers. The new staff will need to be
fast-tracked into their job functions.
The Department wanted to provide an academically
rigorous training program that would enable its staff to
address current project issues but also to adapt to
future issues. Lands then examined traineeships as the
solution to rejuvenate its workforce and, beginning in
2004 and in conjunction with Sydney Institute, the
Certificate III in Spatial Information Services (GIS) was
customised to meet their requirements. The
Department requested that the training program also
provide for articulation into current TAFE courses at the
diploma level.
62
The successful training delivered for the Lands
Department in Sydney was promoted to other parts of
the Department, resulting in its Bathurst operation
requesting and obtaining in 2008 a similarly tailored
program.
Left, Tony Walsh, Department of Lands
Right, Damien Cole, TAFE NSW
During the contract negotiation stage it was recognised
that part of the training could be done on site and
delivered by Lands’ own staff, under the auspice of
Sydney Institute. As the Lands Department is the authority
which sets the industry standards, it was agreed that
Lands was well placed to provide some of the training and
assessment.
TAFE held regular meetings with Lands to discuss the
progress of the trainees in the course and their work
functions. Where individual trainees were found to be
struggling, personal tutoring and mentoring were
provided, both at TAFE and in the workplace.
The Spatial Information Services Training Package has
been revised and the new package provides for Certificate
III, Certificate IV, Diploma and Advanced Diploma level
qualifications. Consequently, the new offering to Lands
provides for a Certificate IV qualification based on
customised training delivered in a mode suited to Lands’
need.
It was agreed that a program including mixed mode
delivery with face-to-face as well as on-the-job training
would provide the most effective and efficient
educational outcomes. Following a consultative process,
a tailored course was developed which met both
industry requirements and Lands’ needs.
Workforce development benefits
In the four years since the introduction of the program,
45 new participants have gained qualifications and
achieved permanent employment outcomes.
TAFE graduates from this program have integrated their
on-the-job skills with new technologies being
investigated by Lands. The use of technology such as
GIS software as an investigative tool has led to an
approach to TAFE from Lands for additional training in
this software for other members of its existing staff.
At the end of 2007 all the trainees involved with the
program were brought together in an open house
meeting to discuss all aspects of their training. As a
result of these discussions some minor changes were
made to the initial course content.
Following the training provided by TAFE, Lands has
gained employees trained in the latest software
systems prior to the software being introduced within
the Department. “The training has also enabled
accelerated development of suitably skilled staff within
Lands,” says Damien Cole, Teacher, Spatial Information
Systems, Sydney Institute.
Productivity of all the trainees is closely monitored
by the employer and all have shown a consistent
improvement in their work delivery.
A number of the trainees have returned to Sydney
Institute to continue their studies and are currently
completing the Diploma in Spatial Information
Services (GIS) course.
Interview with Anthony
Walsh, Manager Titling &
Plan Services, Dept of Lands
Why did you approach TAFE to tailor a course for
you?
It has been probably close to twenty years since the
titling area of the business had an intake of new
people into the organisation. Back in 2004 Lands took
stock and found that our workforce was ageing and in
ten years time we would not be able to provide the
service that we do now to the people of New South
Wales.
So we approached TAFE and said that Lands needs a
particular sort of training and at the time it was
Certificate III in Spatial Information Services. We sat
down with them and worked out the learning
outcomes. And then we said of those outcomes, we
could probably oversee about a third of them
internally. TAFE agreed.
What did you look to TAFE to do differently?
Going back, I did a four year TAFE course back in the
early ‘70s. I went to TAFE and looked after myself and
my employer didn’t know anything about it really,
unless I failed or passed. In this situation it’s been a
partnership between Lands and TAFE: we have
tailored it to suit our needs, the land titling needs.
Has TAFE demonstrated different skills in partnering
and being flexible?
Oh yes, TAFE has been very flexible for us. It’s been a
fairly close relationship between Lands and TAFE. I
suppose an example is if a student is falling behind,
we’re informed about it and they’re not just left to
fail. I’m very happy with it. It’s working for us, and it
seems to be working for TAFE as well.
63
SNAPSHOT 7.
Embedding the
fundamentals of
workforce
development: Baker
and Provan and
TAFE NSW – Western
Sydney Institute
Introducing Baker and Provan
Baker and Provan was established in 1946 as a
toolmaking firm but from about 1975 the company
began concentrating on larger capacity CNC and
conventional machining, fabrication, project work and
machine building. Over the last decade a considerable
effort was made to improve its manufacturing
capacities, build an effective structure to support
complex projects and acquire the skills required to
operate a highly efficient service organisation.
A 6,200 square metre factory in Western Sydney is
supported by eleven overhead cranes ranging in
capacity from 2-30 tonnes. The company operates two
main divisions - Services and Manufacturing. A smaller
site in Perth services high pressure hydraulic
equipment.
Addressing Baker and Provan’s needs
64
The main workforce development issues for Baker and
Provan concern both the quantity and quality of labour.
The enterprise employs around seventy people with
fourteen in the office environment and the remainder
in the factory. While these employees are largely
trained as fitters, machinists, welders and
boilermakers, there are opportunities to improve their
efficiency and range of skills.
The previous approach to training was ad hoc, not
planned, with an emphasis on OH&S training. The
majority of employees have undertaken the Certificate
III in Process Manufacturing and some the Certificate III
in Competitive Manufacturing or Certificate IV in
Frontline Management.
Left, John Yealland, TAFE NSW
Right, Peter Baker, Baker and Provan
The diversity of projects that operators undertake means that
Baker and Provan management require a clear understanding
of existing skill sets and future skill needs. They recently
engaged Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) and TAFE NSW –
Western Sydney Institute in a pilot program to investigate
skills and make recommendations for the skilling and upskilling of their workforce in order to meet future demands.
The company links pay levels to skills application. The base
information to support these decisions is not in place and one
of the project’s aims is to provide a more comprehensive skill
profile of each worker.
The focus of the project is on the up-skilling and re-skilling of
the existing workforce; the project is not about entry-level
training, that is apprentices. Further, the focus is on the
vocational and technical aspects of the work of the company,
it is not directly concerned with the professional workforce of
the company.
Western Sydney Institute has undertaken the following
activities to support Baker and Provan: documented the
current skills of the workforce through skills audits;
documented the technical skills needs of the company; and
determined the gap between skills held and skills needed.
Innovative TAFE responses
The partnership between Baker and Provan and Western
Institute is in its early stages. Up to now, the project has
focused on identifying the company’s workforce development
needs and recommending a strategy and appropriate action
plans for implementation.
The skills audit and implementation of an effective skills
matrix will enable the organisation to be more proactive in
workplace planning. It will have greater ability to direct work
to the most appropriate operator. Up-skilling in targeted areas
along with the setting of formal KPIs will support
improvements in cost, quality and speed. All training will be
customised to the site using work-based projects as the major
training tool.
Interview with Peter Baker,
CEO, Baker and Provan
The project identified the existence of a
broad range of technical skills within the
organisation and that the organisation
would benefit from developing an internal
training capability. This would be achieved
through the assistance of TAFE to develop
training skills of key staff. This internal
training would be underpinned by coaching
and mentoring activities using qualified
trainers from TAFE to assist with skills
transfer and to assist Baker and Provan to
develop their training systems.
Workforce development benefits
By supporting skills development and
strategic training initiatives, Baker and
Provan will be better placed to achieve its
targets for growth and improved
productivity. This will enable the
organisation to develop a new approach to
on-the-job skills and capability development
for the future. This skills development
exercise will assist the organisation with its
longer term growth objectives in terms of
capacity and range of services offered.
Other benefits for the organisation include
the improvement of team work and
communication by providing clearer
information regarding targets and
objectives.
The development of an in-house training
capability will, over time, increase the
organisation’s ability to foster a learning
culture to support the business in a
competitive market. This culture will be
achieved through the improved ability of
staff to communicate needs and to
collaborate in developing effective solutions
to business challenges.
What has TAFE done with you to date?
They’ve come in and done an analysis really of where we’re at, that is,
what skills and talents exist within the organisation at the current
level. This is part of a larger study that they’re involved in.
What we said from the outset was that we wanted things to be done
from a fundamental point of view, so I find out what we know, find
out what we need to know, work out the gaps and then devise
training methods to address the gap.
I think by doing that we’ll get a very, very good result and certainly
from the way the TAFE people have spoken and performed we’ve got
very good expectations of this planned approach. This is definitely the
way to go.
Why do you need this customised approach?
Our situation is that we’re a fairly large machine shop and we also do
quite a bit of fabrication and the sort of fabrication we do is not
structural, it’s usually fairly technical. So the regular TAFE system
doesn’t really meet our particular needs. For example, on heavy
machining TAFE can’t teach someone how to put a 20-ton job on a
horizontal borer, it’s not something they do. But we’re hoping that the
output from the study they’re doing will allow that process to occur.
Is that the study they’re doing with Ai Group, in the western Sydney
area?
Yes. Ai Group is working with five companies and we are one of them. I
think it’s probably going slower than everyone wanted but we’re not
concerned about that. What we want, as I indicated earlier, is the analysis
to be done fundamentally, we don’t want the answer pre-prepared.
You want to get it right, from the start?
Yes. I could roar in here and say we are deficient in this area and that
area. Now I might be wrong, I might be right, or I might be half-right.
So, we would prefer to find out definitively what our position is. We
want a thorough analysis at the front end so that the training is close
as possible to what we want.
TAFE obviously needs to understand your business.
That’s right. We’ve given them quite a lot of information and we’ve
told them where we’re at, and where we think we’ll be going in the
future, which will help them to devise training to meet those
requirements.
Do they need to have an overview of your workforce in terms of the jobs
and the skills required?
Yes, they need some knowledge of our business plans. And they need to
know the skills and aspirations of each employee. They need to know where
it is that management is trying to push the business. For example, there are
reasonably good opportunities for fairly technical fancy welding. And those
skills are often not readily available.
So do they need a lot more than just generic understanding? A detailed
and unique understanding?
They need to get inside our head.
Is part of that developing a framework for career paths for new entrants?
Yes, they need to understand and recommend in many cases career paths,
that you can progress from being this level of skills to this level of skills. We
would see it as being a fairly close sort of partnership with TAFE: that’s what
we’d be trying to achieve.
What other business benefits are you looking for from this partnership,
long-term?
We’re looking for 10% to 15% improvement in productivity.
What we’re doing on the training side is part of a larger package of things
that we’re doing, but it’s obviously a very, very important part.
And so the training will link up with other initiatives?
Yes, for example we’re about to embark on a culture change program. Not
that there’s anything particularly wrong with our culture, but there are a few
things that we can improve on. Layout and placement of tooling, things like
that we can improve. There are physical things that we can do to improve our
performance and we can move onto the human elements.
Are you positioning training as part of a mix of strategies?
Yes. We want our workforce to be fully engaged, to be confident in what
they’re doing, to know that they’re getting the best available, to know that
the management is better than everywhere else. We want to help make it a
desirable place to work.
You seem intent on getting it right from the start.
Well you know the fundamentals are important here, because otherwise you
won’t get the optimum result. You’ll get a solution, but it won’t be the best.
65
Introducing the Armidale Dumaresq Council
Armidale Dumaresq Council is located in Armidale on
the New England Tableland in northern New South
Wales.
SNAPSHOT 8.
Assisting workforce
planning: Armidale
Dumaresq Council
and TAFE NSW –
New England
Institute
Armidale Dumaresq Council established a relationship
with TAFE NSW – New England Institute in 2001, with
the appointment of Elizabeth Herbert from TAFE as the
Training Partnership Manager. At that stage the council
had a workforce of approximately 250 staff from areas
including administration, finance, transport, parks and
gardens, utilities, engineering, planning, human
resources, records, rangers, purchasing and tourism.
In 2006, Armidale Dumaresq Council joined with five
other councils on the New England Tableland to
establish NESAC - the New England Strategic Alliance of
Councils. This led to a significant increase in the
partnership between NESAC and New England Institute,
as the combined councils have a workforce of
approximately 450 staff members.
Addressing the Council’s needs
66
One of the major problems facing regional local
government is attracting and retaining qualified staff.
NESAC has appointed an Organisational Development
Officer to focus on this need and on succession
planning, assisted by the Training Partnership
Manager. Incentives are offered in the form of
university fee-payment schemes and study leave, as
well as the promotion of the advantages of a rural lifestyle in order to attract city dwellers to apply for
council positions. Flexible working hours are also
offered, for example between 7 am and 7 pm, which
appeals to employees with children.
Left, Elizabeth Herbert, TAFE NSW
Right, Michael McGrath, Armidale Dumaresq
Council
When the Training Partnership Manager, Herbert, was
appointed, one of her first tasks was to complete a
training needs analysis and to discuss with managers
the requirements they had for their current staff. In
many areas staff did not hold accredited qualifications
except for mandatory legislative requirements such as
occupational health and safety, and plant operation.
TAFE’s Herbert describes the positive response she
received from management:
One manager requested that his outdoor staff all
be multi-skilled, so that in the event of sickness or
leave, he had other staff to take up positions left
unfilled. He also said that if his staff were multiskilled, it made his work schedules/rosters much
easier to arrange.
She then set about having all outdoor workers signed
to Existing Worker Traineeships in areas of Civil
Construction, Water Operations and Horticulture (Parks
and Gardens). For indoor staff, Existing Worker
Traineeships were arranged for Information
Technology, Local Government and the many areas of
Business Administration, including Records
Management, Business Management and Frontline
Management.
Prior to the establishment of the Training Partnership
Management, Rangers were sent to Sydney for
training, but now undertake that training through the
New England Institute through either Existing Worker
or New Entrant traineeships in Certificate IV in Local
Government (Regulatory Services).
Innovative TAFE responses
The position Herbert holds is a managerial role within
the Council’s framework from where she has sought
to develop a training and learning culture within the
five Councils, through the development,
implementation and coordination of training and
assessment systems and services. Her responsibilities
include the management of all apprentices and
trainees, skills gap recognition and training, and
ensuring appropriate training meets legislative
requirements such as Protected Disclosures.
The role necessitates an in-depth knowledge and
understanding of VET, and networking with numerous
VET stakeholders, including the State Training Centre,
Australian Apprenticeship Centres, TAFE. She requires a
thorough knowledge of what TAFE provides as well as
an understanding of key TAFE stakeholders, the
Department of Education and Training and relevant
industry bodies.
Her colleague Jan Cork, Business Consultant at the
Institute, comments:
Elizabeth has become an integral part of the Human
Resources team and has the primary responsibility in the
Strategic Tasks list for conducting a training needs
analysis across all five councils, amongst other tasks.
Through the recognition of workforce requirements
coupled with addressing training gaps, she puts strategies
into place to address current and future workforce
planning needs.
Herbert’s work has given the Council a clear picture of the
qualification and skills of current staff compared to those that
they require.
Workforce development benefits
Other innovative strategies introduced by TAFE include the
Indigenous Employment Strategy which involves the
employment of young indigenous people who are then a role
model to other indigenous youth. TAFE has also introduced
the training components of the Council’s new Salary System,
which aligns the training with accredited qualifications, hence
producing a more qualified staff.
Additionally, Herbert has developed a new approach to career
development within the council through the establishment of
a training and assessment system, comprising New Entrant
and Existing Worker Traineeships, and training/qualification
requirements for the new salary system. Where staff wish to
take up a qualification that is not related to their current
work area, Herbert is able to manage that process for them,
and they are able to access funds towards the payment of the
TAFE fees through the Council’s Education Assistance Program.
Her position enables her to assist staff with developing a
career pathway within Local Government, which in turn
assists in the retention of staff, increased productivity and
skills development.
As the New England Institute fosters life-long learning, all
TAFE teachers show their students - the council employees the pathways they now have available to them, beyond the
current courses.
Managers of outdoor Council staff have confirmed increases in
productivity with the multi-skilling of staff. Cork comments:
This is exceedingly important as they are often the seen
staff in the community and it is very important that they
are perceived to be well skilled and productive by
ratepayers.
Interview with Michael
McGrath, Human Resources
Manager, New England
Strategic Alliance of Councils
What value do you attach to TAFE’s input?
What are some of the services provided to you by
TAFE?
What else do you like about what she does?
The arrangement we’ve had with TAFE has been very
flexible. Elizabeth Herbert was mainly engaged to
maximise the number of trainees we can sign up and
also to follow up on all the funding, and deal with the
tender process. She basically does all that for us, all
the administration, all the running around liaising and
making sure that the records are filed correctly, and
the training attended. If there are any problems she
troubleshoots those for us. She supports and
sometimes mentors the trainees if they need it, which
means she’s probably going beyond the call of duty,
but she does that and she has been invaluable in her
counselling of staff. Elizabeth has extensive knowledge
of Training Packages and the whole national training
system.
What other services does she provide?
We’ve tended to rely on Elizabeth to advise us on the
most appropriate Training Package for a particular
position or role in the council. She’s able to navigate
through that whole minefield of Training Packages for
us and come up with the most appropriate Package
and then seek the most appropriate RTO, which is not
always TAFE, to deliver that Package.
What are some of the other high value contributions
of TAFE?
The progression through our salary system is based on
the achievement of units in the most appropriate
Training Packages and Elizabeth, together with
Council’s HR staff, ensures that each individual has a
training plan that links to the most appropriate
Training Package for their position. Employee
progression through the salary system is based on their
completion of various units in that training.
Over the last seven years or so we’ve been granted over $500,000 in
Commonwealth incentives, and put through something like 300 trainees.
With Elizabeth’s background in TAFE and her teaching experience, she’s
been able to help us in all sorts of other ways in the HR department, so
she’s willing to take on any other HR-type training roles. That’s been very
handy when we’ve been short staffed.
Well I suppose she’s got access to the entire TAFE system so in terms of
getting people’s employee qualifications, where they’re up to, whether
they’ve completed assignments, all that sort of information. She is able to
track them very easily so we don’t have to wait around for TAFE personnel
to get back to us or an employee to get back to us: we can get access to
that data straight away.
She’s also opened up a lot of links with TAFE in other areas. As a result,
TAFE is more likely to run courses for us, more likely to cooperate with us.
If we wanted to construct a special course to meet a particular need,
particularly a training need where there was no formal course structure or
no Training Package that would suit us, then usually TAFE have been able
to put something together for us. There are all those spin-offs that we’ve
been able to benefit from.
What are some other spin-offs from the TAFE partnership?
Being a regional town and having a Council working closely with the local
TAFE Institute is a positive thing. We hope to increase the number of
school-based trainees in the future and obviously TAFE will be heavily
involved in that.
What are some of those benefits of Council and TAFE working well
together?
Some of them are a little bit hard to quantify. I think it’s beneficial just
being able to pick up the phone and ask for help or advice in the training
area; just having that wealth of knowledge out there on tap. And even
though Elizabeth doesn’t work five days a week, if I’ve got a query, on
days when she’s not here, all I need to do is send an email and usually
she’ll pick it up at TAFE or somewhere else and get back to me straight
away.
67
Conclusions: the emerging model and
some messages for industry
Figure 1: Overall model for TAFE-industry
partnership in workforce development
This section returns to a point
made in the Key Findings section:
that the snapshots and case
studies enable the more detailed
description of an emerging model
or framework for TAFE-industry
partnerships. The broad model is
set out in Figure 1.
The section concludes with some
messages for industry and enterprises
generated by this research.
68
Details of the emerging model for
TAFE-industry partnerships
Drawing on the evidence provided in the
eighteen snapshots and case studies, a
range of sample needs for enterprises in
the two areas of workforce planning and
development can be identified, as in
Figure 2.
Based on the snapshots and case
studies, it is also possible to identify
sample strategies used by TAFE and
enterprises in response to workforce
planning and development needs, as in
Figure 3.
Figure 2: Enterprise needs in
workforce planning and
development
Figure 3: Sample strategies
used by TAFE and enterprises
Well established strategies:
• conducting training needs
analyses
• mapping job functions to
Training Package competencies
• identifying likely candidates
for RPL
• providing RPL services
• customising training to suit
individuals
• using flexible delivery and
assessment methods
• personalising services
• increasing workplace safety
Emerging strategies - assisting
clients with:
• increasing innovation levels
• entrepreneurial initiatives
• changing cultures
• managing change
• expanding markets
• improving product quality
Sample workforce planning
needs:
• for retirements, replacements
• for planning for downturns,
upturns
• for workforce attraction,
retention, reward
• for talent identification
• for leadership development
• to develop a learning
organisation
Sample workforce
development needs:
• increase participation rates
• induct new staff
• upskill existing staff
• reskill existing staff
• promote lifelong learning
• address needs of younger
workers
• meet needs of mature
workers
TAFE strategies can be broadly separated into well established
and emerging strategies. Well established strategies are those
that have been used for some years by TAFE, such as conducting
training needs analyses. Emerging strategies were noted in the
case studies and snapshots, and have become evident more
recently. These include assisting enterprises to increase their
innovation levels and to develop a learning culture.
Enterprises have separate strategies to contribute to the
development of the workforce, such as rewarding innovation and
commissioning targeted training.
The different strategies of TAFE and enterprises, when designed
and implemented collaboratively, provide the enterprise with the
chance to achieve optimum outcomes.
69
Sample strategies used by
enterprises:
• providing incentives
• acknowledging special effort
• rewarding innovation
• commissioning targeted
training
• investing in leadership
programs
• encouraging ongoing
learning
• fostering a learning culture
• providing mentors, coaches
• sharing information
• supporting networking
• identifying excellence
• monitoring performance
• measuring productivity
Figure 4: Sample critical
elements of effective
partnerships between TAFE
NSW and enterprises
The different strategies of TAFE and enterprises create a
new synergy between the partners, ensuring that all
strategies are more likely to be effective.
The snapshots and case studies reveal some critical
elements of effective partnerships between TAFE NSW and
enterprises, ranging from mutual respect to collaborative
problem solving, as summarised in Figure 4.
The eighteen snapshots and case studies also provide a
range of sample outcomes from effective TAFE-enterprise
partnerships, as in Figure 5.
The above diagrams highlight the elements of an emerging
framework or model that underpins the successful service
and practice being provided by TAFE NSW for enterprises,
based on the snapshots and case studies set out in this
publication.
70
Sample critical features:
trust, mutual respect,
flexibility, commitment to
common goals,
perseverance, ideas,
specialist expertise,
energy, problem solving,
review, continual
improvement
Not every need, strategy, outcome or partnership feature
can be set out in Figures 2-5, as there are too many to
attach to the diagrams and make them readable. However,
the sample elements provided in Figures 2-5 indicate that
effective TAFE-enterprise partnerships are soundly based on
each party contributing different strategies, but each party
bringing similar attitudes to the heart of the partnership,
such as trust and mutual respect.
This emerging model would be drawn differently from one
specific case study to the next, for those set out in this
publication. But that is part of the model’s value: it can be
a reference point for each TAFE-enterprise partnership in
the future, and can serve as a prompt to those partnerships
to do the following:
•
to be mindful of the good practice strategies and
elements of other effective partnerships
•
to be conscious of the good practice strategies and
elements of their own particular partnership
•
to map those unique good practice strategies and
elements to the basic version of the model provided
earlier in Figure 1.
Awareness of the unique and positive aspects of each
partnership will encourage improvement of the partnership.
Key messages for industry and enterprises
Figure 5: Sample outcomes
from effective TAFE enterprise partnerships
Sample outcomes:
• increased participation rate in the
workforce
• improved work practices
• increased employee productivity
• more confident and innovative staff
• development of innovative products and
services
• enhanced approaches to employee
relations
• improved job design
• expansion of career development
options
In concluding, some key messages from this research for industry and enterprises are
as follows, using similar, frank language used by the industry interviewees quoted in
this publication:
1. TAFE NSW is changing. TAFE has heard the advice from IPART and elsewhere that it
needs to move out of the classroom more often, and get closer to you, get to
know your business better, and learn how to provide you with services that you
need now and in the future.
2. TAFE NSW is offering you more. TAFE now sees that it can provide training and
assessment and many other services that are connected more and more to your
business. For example, TAFE staff can not only get to know the job roles within
your organisation and map the functions of those job roles to relevant Training
Packages; TAFE can also help to develop learning plans and provide personalised
training and assessment services for your staff.
3. TAFE NSW could surprise you. If you list the human resource issues within your
organisation, which are likely to include attracting, up-skilling and retaining staff
and increasing staff productivity, then you could look at the case studies and
snapshots in this publication and see that increasing numbers of TAFE staff now
understand that these issues are vital to your survival and, further, that they may
be able to assist you with these issues. This is a new space for TAFE, and its
leading practitioners are confidently operating there.
4. TAFE NSW has raised its standard. The best of TAFE practice is outstanding. Some
TAFE staff are modeling exceptional skills for liaising, negotiating, planning and
customising training and assessment and related services. All TAFE staff will be
expected to develop these similar skills in the near future.
5. TAFE NSW awaits your challenges. Expect more of TAFE. Invite them to work with
you on key challenges facing your business. Encourage them to suggest ways in
which they can assist you.
6. TAFE NSW offers specialist strengths. Ask TAFE to offer you more than just training
and assessment. Ask them to contribute to your business their specialist strengths
in understanding how people learn, how learning influences work performance,
and how a learning culture can add even more value to your organisation.
7. TAFE NSW works better as your partner. Rather than view TAFE as a service provider
and yourself as a client, at arm’s distance to each other, embrace the concept of a
partnership with TAFE. See what extra value will result from actively contributing
to a partnership in which both parties, you and TAFE, contribute energy, vision and
time. Learn, develop, grow and flourish together.
71
Appendix: Research methods
The ten case studies and eight snapshots in this
publication were selected in consultation with TAFE
NSW, as examples of good practice.
The ten case studies are designed to provide some depth of
information based on the following request sent to the TAFE
participants:
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BENEFITS. Please describe how the
innovative TAFE responses assisted enterprises in one or more of
the following ways:
Selection of exemplars
CLIENT SETTING. Please provide any background description of the
enterprise or industry assisted by or partnered by your Institute.
For instance, a description of the enterprise’s location, size, focus
and challenges faced.
•
helped them adopt high performance practices
•
helped them to develop innovative product and service
strategies
•
helped them to develop new approaches to career
development
•
helped them to integrate on-the-job skills development with
strategies for growth, investment and productivity.
The broad criteria used to select the case studies and snapshots
were as follows:
•
they are examples of successful collaboration between TAFE
and industry
•
the examples are drawn from a range of industries
•
the case studies and snapshots include, across the set,
references to all ten TAFE NSW Institutes.
Interviews
72
Telephone interviews were conducted for all of the eighteen
initiatives. In total, thirty eight interviews were conducted
involving around 47 people: 18 from industry and 29 from TAFE.
All interviews were digitally recorded and fully transcribed.
To ensure the views expressed were open and not constrained,
industry personnel were interviewed separately to TAFE
personnel.
The interviews were designed to complement and extend the
written survey discussed below. They were semi-structured, to
enable each interviewee to emphasise aspects of the initiative
they thought were significant.
All interviewees were allowed to check the final draft of their
case study or snapshot, but only to correct any accidental
inaccuracies or grammatical slips, not to alter the analysis.
Survey and other documents
To acquire background data, the researcher asked TAFE staff
involved in the eighteen different initiatives with industry to
complete a structured, written questionnaire, called a scan, of
their initiative. The names of these staff are, where possible,
cited in the text of this report.
TAFE staff were also invited to provide photographs and to
forward any existing written information on their initiative, such
as press releases, pamphlets or articles.
CLIENT NEEDS. Please describe the needs of and challenges faced
by the enterprise or industry which the TAFE NSW staff helped to
address; for example, one or more of:
•
current and future workforce issues and planning
•
career pathways and advice
•
up-skilling existing workers
•
skills recognition
•
improving the linkages of training to the business outcomes
for the client’s firm
•
improving training methodology to suit the client’s firm
•
attracting and retaining workers.
INNOVATIVE TAFE RESPONSES. Please describe the innovative
responses, approaches or strategies taken by the TAFE staff
member(s), including key steps taken and the obstacles
overcome. Innovative responses could include:
•
assisting with workplace planning
•
providing advice on career pathways
•
providing skills recognition services
•
customising workplace training and assessment
•
being entrepreneurial
•
adapting to diverse clients.
EXTERNAL PARTNERING. Please describe how your Institute
partnered collaboratively with an enterprise or industry to
develop and provide innovative responses.
INTERNAL COOPERATION. Please describe how different TAFE staff
- both teaching and non-teaching - cooperated in developing and
delivering the innovative workforce development services.
OTHER OUTCOMES FOR CLIENT. Please discuss any other benefits or
outcomes for enterprises or industries - either direct or indirect,
unexpected or unplanned outcomes - as a result of the
innovative approaches taken by the TAFE staff. e.g. increased
enterprise staff productivity, increased participation in workforce,
improved industry output, fostered career development and
encouraged lifelong learning.
TAFE STAFF CAPABILITIES. Please discuss the capabilities
demonstrated by TAFE staff in responding to client needs. Take
capabilities to mean a human quality; any mix of knowledge,
skills, personal qualities and understanding used appropriately
and effectively.
TAFE INSTITUTE CAPACITIES. Please discuss the capacities of TAFE
Institutes that assisted the achievement of client outcomes. Take
capacities to be the Institute’s strengths, characteristics, features
and/or attributes. This could include capacities in problem
solving, speed of response, customisation of services, innovation
and entrepreneurship.
The eight snapshots in the report provide additional examples to
the ten case studies but for a smaller range of topics, including:
•
client setting
•
client needs
•
innovative TAFE responses
•
workforce development benefits
•
other outcomes for client.
Acknowledgements
The willing support of TAFE NSW personnel in completing the
above scans, forwarding documentation and being available to
be interviewed is greatly appreciated. As far as possible, the
people who supplied information are referred to in the relevant
case study or snapshot. The generosity of industry personnel in
being available for interviews is also greatly appreciated.
For more information about how TAFE NSW can
assist you and your company go to
www.tafensw.edu.au/employerservices
or contact TAFE NSW National Business
Ground Floor, 255 Elizabeth Street
Sydney NSW 2000 Australia
Telephone 1800 550 444