Simplistic templates won’t wash

Over half a billion bucks is riding on workforce development plans, so the race is on to learn how to prepare and write such plans, and convincing ones at that. By John Mitchell. Absorbing Skills Australia, the National Workforce and Productivity Agency (NWPA) will be established on 1 July 2012 to administer a new industry driven National Workforce Development Fund. Through that fund the government will provide $558 million over four years to support training and workforce development in areas of current and future skills need. Under this innovative fund, enterprises will identify their current and future business and workforce development needs. Enterprises will then apply for funding, in writing, to support the training of existing workers and new workers in the area of need. Both the Government and the employer will provide funding to support this training, with large enterprises contributing 66 per cent of the cost of training, medium enterprises 50 per cent and small enterprises 33 per cent. But do enterprises know how to prepare such written workforce development plans? The fear is that NWPA will be bombarded with earnest but simplistic workforce development plans prepared for enterprises by template-driven consultants looking for a slice of the funding. Is it at all possible that enterprises, particularly small businesses, could submit their own sophisticated plans to the NWPA, without using the services of overnight experts in workforce development? Is there anyone out there who knows what they are talking about and can help enterprises of all different sizes? The Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (ACCI), is deeply immersed researching the issues involved in workforce development and planning for business. Before the NWPA was even conceived, ACCI was on the case, with funding support from DEEWR, managing four projects over the last three year into the attraction, retention, management, support, training and career progression of apprentices. ACCI has comprehensive evidence that good employers are very knowledgeable about workforce development, so to access the new Fund all they will need to do is transfer some of that knowledge to paper, says their Senior Advisor, Employment, Education and Training, Stephen Bolton. First of all, good employers are very knowledgeable about the attraction of the right apprentice. “Good employers always take a longer term look at their skills needs, in terms of attracting apprentices. They’re involved in pre-apprenticeship training, they have good structured attraction and recruitment processes and draw on information from a variety of sources like Australian Apprenticeship Centres, group training organisations and they go back to their industry associations for advice and support.” According to ACCI’s research, employers who have little difficulty in finding good apprentices are often actively involved with schools programs or have targeted pre-apprenticeship programs. Second, good employers are experts in ensuring the retention of apprentices. “Good employers know that apprentice retention requires a multifaceted approach. It involves pastoral care and support, good training and providing meaningful work for your apprentice. The provision of mentoring or buddying to assist apprentices is almost across-the-board in quality workplaces where they have few retention problems. “Good employers are committed to assisting apprentices to fit in, feel supported, and develop skills and confidence in the workplace and continue to learn. They tend to hang onto their apprentices for the duration of their training and beyond.” Third, ACCI research shows that good employers are skilled in reengaging previously disengaged apprentices. “Good employers recognise that apprentices who have previously dropped out of the system have many valuable skills and attributes that in most cases mean they could rapidly pick up where they’d left off.” Fourth, good employers know how to retain completing apprentices so that they become confident new tradespeople and build a career in the industry. “It’s about keeping them engaged and it normally comes down to providing opportunities for them to continue to learn and grow within the organisation. The good employers in this area tend to have a fairly well structured culture of continuous workforce development.” Fifth and overall, good employers have a systematic, structured approach to the attraction, retention, development and progression of apprentices. “It’s really all about the structures that an employer can put in place. Having a structured recruitment process can help you secure the right person. Having structured training and mentoring processes can support the new apprentice throughout their program and having a structured workforce development plan allows for ongoing training and development that can keep staff interested and engaged.” ACCI is focused on making available to all employers the findings from its research. “The research provides employers with a step-by-step guide as to how they can go about recruiting the right person or developing structures in the workplace to allow them to provide meaningful training.” ACCI is also focused on helping employers turn this knowledge into effective planning workforce development plans and strategies. With funding from DEEWR, its specialist education and training advisers located within the state and territory chambers of commerce now provide advice and support for employers to develop workforce development plans. Overall, ACCI’s research shows that each and every employer will need a unique workforce development plan. “No one off-the-shelf workforce development model will suit all employers, so there’s a need for customisable plans to enable employers to really recognise the cycles that they go through as a business, with downturns, staff shortages, skills shortages, business expansion and redirection. “Workforce development plans must be flexible, so employers can meet their unique skill challenges as they arise.” Given this research, if employers want a share of the half billion pie, they are well advised to ignore cookie cutter templates for workforce development plans and tap into the ideas of employers with a track record for developing their workforce. n Declaration ACCI is a client of JMA. Dr John Mitchell is a Sydney-based researcher and consultant who specialises in VET workforce development and strategic leadership. See www.jma.com.au