 Griffith returns Shepparton’s hospitality
Councillors from Griffith City Council in New South Wales recently visited Greater Shepparton City Council in central Victoria. Shepparton Mayor, Anne McCamish, said the visit reciprocated her Council’s trip to Griffith last year.
South Australia celebrates top office professionals
The City of Campbelltown’s Executive Assistant, Jan Franklin, was recently named South Australia’s 2003 Office Professional of the Year – the first time a Local Government employee has won the award. Executive Assistant of the Local Government Association of South Australia, Jacqui Kelleher, also won an Achievement Award from the Australian Institute of Office Professionals (AIOP).
Support your ‘know how' with enhanced management skills
The Professional Management Program, offered by The University of Adelaide, is a program that seeks to enhance existing management skills, to help middle to senior level managers cope more effectively with the requirements of their changing work environment.
Tim Duncan is a top achiever
Tim Duncan is Cowra Shire Council’s award winning apprentice mechanic, having recently been presented with a load full of awards. Tim is employed by Central Western Group Apprentices to work for the West Central NSW Council.
Playford invests in its volunteers
Volunteers at the City of Playford, South Australia, can attain a national Certificate in Aged Care, through a TAFE based training program developed by Council. A successful pilot program was run for volunteers at Grenville Seniors Community Connections Hub last year.
Fit for purpose
The UK Experience by Malcolm Morley *
Councils are full of highly trained professionals. This training is regulated by professional bodies and seeks to ensure that when an individual qualifies they have the knowledge necessary to competently carry out their professional duties. Professional bodies also seek, through Continuing Professional Development, to ensure that their members keep abreast of developments in professional practice and knowledge.
Training packages are leading the way
Providing access to training opportunities for staff is vital, as skilled workers are a fundamental component of a successful and productive workforce. Training packages provide a framework for identifying additional skills and training needed for a specific job. They can also offer a great opportunity for people who have been working in an industry, but do not have a formal qualification, to obtain recognition of their skills.
ERIC streamlines information at Baulkham Hills
Baulkham Hills Council in north west Sydney was experiencing a large volume of employee relations enquiries that were overloading their internal telephone system. Queries about industrial relations policies and procedures, employee entitlements and management guidelines created a lot of work for Council’s Organisation Development Team, and wasted a lot of paper.
Graduation for Hume City Council trainees
Hume City Council is one of eight Melbourne Councils working with Northern Training Group (NGT) to train staff in general home care, respite care and personal care. Working in partnership with individual Councils, NGT designs and implements employment and training solutions to meet the organisation’s specific needs.
Strategy overcomes training problems
Hume City Council, on Melbourne’s northern fringe, has developed an in house staff training program that overcomes many of the problems associated with employee training. The Integrated Formal Learning on the Job program has resulted in higher participation rates, with fewer staff dropping out of courses.
Training youth for a career in LG
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, south east of Melbourne, has inducted a second group of young people into the Wal Morrison traineeship program. Council developed the program in partnership with Swinburne University of Technology three years ago to provide training for 15–24 year old job seekers and to address skill shortages in some Local Government sectors.
Marrickville awarded for playing it safe
Marrickville Council in inner western Sydney has won a host of awards for its occupational health, injury and environment management system, otherwise known as SAFE. Perhaps the most prestigious honour was being named the inaugural 2002 WorkCover NSW Employer of the Year.
Corporate partnering
An emerging issue for learning and development in Council?
The role of Local Government, beyond the provision of community services to their citizens, is becoming a contentious issue. While it has always been taken for granted that Local Governments control and are involved with a wide range of community and social issues, more and more, there seems an emphasis on corporatisation, that is undertaking activities which achieve a return on capital, add value or which generate a positive cash flow and so forth.
Measuring for organisational success
When facing significant challenges, one of the first priorities is to understand the issues involved and to work out quickly what needs to be done in order to move forward. In many cases, we can think through these steps, however when the issues or problems are not entirely clear, a structured approach is beneficial.
Top marks for Council meeting at school
Students from St Philip’s College put the Alice Springs Town Council in the hot seat recently with a barrage of questions about skateboarding in Todd Mall, sporting facilities, town planning and youth issues. Council recently held its monthly Ordinary Council meeting at St Philip’s College, inviting students, teachers and parents along to meet their local representatives, ask questions about their community, and learn about the role and function of Council.
Mentoring program for new Mayors
For a newcomer, the role of Mayor or Shire President
can be daunting. Providing leadership to Council and good governance to the community are crucial prerequisites for the job. The Western Australian Department of Local Government and Regional Development’s Mayors and Presidents Support Program offers guidance and support to newcomers from mentors who have experience in the role.
Murchison and Nedlands form partnership
The City of Nedlands, in metropolitan Perth, and the Shire of Murchison, around 700 kilometres to its north, are two very different Local Government areas. Murchison has 1,719 km of unsealed roads and only 2.5 km of sealed roads. It has a population of 150, with 69 dwellings. By contrast, Nedlands has 137 km of sealed roads and more than 380 hectares of parks and gardens. Its residential population is 21,000.
Mayors network the essentials
Twenty-two newly elected Mayors gathered in the Shire of Yarra Ranges for the Victorian Local Governance Association’s Essential Weekend for Mayors from 11–13 April. Dubbed ‘Mayors’ School’ by one participant, it gave Mayors the opportunity to network with their peers and reflect on the challenges and opportunities of their mayoral year.
National qualifications for Adelaide parking officers
City of Adelaide parking and information officers now have the opportunity to gain a nationally recognised qualification. The Certificate III in Local Government (Governance and Administration) Authorised Officer course aims to give parking officers a better understanding of their job, and a structured career path.
Nominations now open
Nominations for the Prime Minister’s Work for the Dole Achievement Awards 2003 are now open. This is an opportunity for you to nominate who you think are the best Work for the Dole participants, supervisors, sponsors, hosts and Community Work Coordinators in your community and give them the opportunity to receive the recognition they deserve.
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