Transcript Slide 1
Leo Jensen
MPIA CPP, MLGMA, AIMM
LOCAL GOVERNMENT: The Critical Link?
LGMA Queensland Annual Conference – October 2008
Thank you for the opportunity to present
PIA
National Inquiry
National Skills Shortage Strategy
Qld Local Government Careers Taskforce
Planner Attraction & Retention Survey
PIA Response
LGAQ Diploma
My Team
The Disclaimer Stuff
The opinions expressed today are my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of the Local
Government Careers Taskforce, nor my employer being the Moreton Bay Regional Council.
2003/04 PIA conducted a
National Inquiry into Planning
Education and Employment.
Testing of anecdotal evidence:
• Dire shortage of planning
professionals
• Planning graduates was in decline
• Skills did not match workplace
needs
Wake Up Call for Local Government
Local
government planners were under particular
pressure:
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High stress levels & low morale
Unmanageable workloads
Being understaffed
Lack of awareness of the seriousness of the issue
Ethical dilemmas & concerns about quality being
compromised
But equally there was strong support:
• From employers wanting to improve
• For mentoring/supporting professionals and young planners
The
statistics remain remarkably similar:
• 12,000 planners
• 47% in Local Government
• Vacancy rates of 13 –19%
• Demand - increase by 28% (over 5 –10 years)
• 46% of profession under 35 years of age
• 1 in 4 women work part-time / 1 in 10 men
• 5% female professionals over 35 have left planning
• 40% employers have engaged planning assistants
• Salaries growing faster than CPI
• Most critical shortage in 2004 – unchanged
• Critical shortage exists in most areas - major cities
and regional areas
• Longer term shortages exist in rural and regional difficulty in attracting/retaining staff
• ‘Sea-change’ communities = volumes of work
• Key problem of professional ‘leakage’ to alternative
roles (particularly women)
Volume
of work + new &/or complex
legislation
Skills transferable
Rural/regional – unattractive
Demand has pushed salaries beyond
local government’s reach
Overseas demand
Women leaving for work choice /
family reasons
Unacceptable work environments:
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Conflict
Ethics
Workload
lack of flexibility, work/life balance
Can Local
Government afford
this type of
publicity?
Negative Image &
Reputation (toxic!)
Four Strategic Objectives
• Local Government Career Pathways
• Leadership in Local Government
• Local Government – Employer of Choice
• Image Building
Five Key Initiatives
• Local Government Centre for Excellence
• New Ways of Working
• Training & Professional Development
• Attracting New Workers
• Promoting Local Government – Employer of
Choice
LGSFS
commenced Feb 2007
DETA – Qld Skills Plan
Skill Shortages in Key Professional
Areas
Mid 2006 already started via fmr
DLGPSR
LG Career Taskforce est’d Feb 2007
Priority
Areas
• Town planning
• Building certification
• Engineering
• Environmental health
Stakeholders
• Local & ATSI councils
• Peak Professional Associations
• Vocational Educational & Training
• Higher Education Sector
• Government Agencies
• Schools
• LG Skills Shortage Survey – HR Managers
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(August 2007)
Queensland Planners – Attraction & Retention
Survey (August 2007)
Environmental Health Practitioners – Attraction &
Retention Survey (August 2008)
Building Certifiers completed October 2008
Engineers linking in with other work
60% Councils shortage of DA planners
49% Councils shortage of Strategic planners
Skills shortage in Qld worse than 2004:
• unprecedented growth,
• pop’n migration & no. of applications
55% respondents in LG
28.6% Private Sector
50/50 Male Female Ratio
44% DA
12.7% Strategic
33% Combination
“A shortage of
planners is
delaying
development
across the state”
So
what can local government do?
Planners nationally tell us that what they want
in the workplace is:
Reduced workplace conflict and “toxicity”
Respect for their professional opinions and advice
Flexible conditions / part time work opportunities
Stronger internal support – induction, team building,
mentoring, training
Identifiable career paths / encouragement to progress in
LG
Confidential help with ethical issues
Active support for training &
development
Formal Codes of Conduct
Clearer planning schemes /
strategy / policies
Recognition of professional
status – senior job
descriptions requiring CPP
status
DAF leading practice
eDA
Avoiding blame
20
21
Recommendations
Professional
development programs
Design jobs for variety of work:
• DA / Strategic / State / Local
Retention
Strategy targeting planners 21-29 yo
Stress management program – workload and
burnout
Flexibility, part-time etc – being responsive
Advocating for e-DA including
additional commonwealth/state $$
Encouraging elected representative
training
Promoting Codes of Conduct
Providing ethics advice (Ethi-call: St
James Ethics Centre)
Supporting de-politicising of
decision making through panels (SA)
The professional competencies and
standing of planners (CPP)
Raising profile with government, the
community and within industry
National Education committee
Young Planners via LG Careers
Taskforce - Planning is Awesome DVD
Recently launched Mentoring Program
for Planners in Queensland
Promotion of Ethi-Call - offered to all PIA
members
Certified Practising Planners (CPP)
Education
Awards
15
Team Caboolture
Courses delivered
since 2007
142 graduates
70% female/30% male
Councils from all over
Queensland.
Demand from private
sector
Planning & Environment Unit
Great People, Great Team, Great Culture
60 staff in Administration, DA, Strategic, Environmental
& Infrastructure Planning
High workloads, no new positions, turnover low
Need to diversify skills base to assist in the assessment
areas.
Council
committed to ongoing training &
professional development
Investment in Staff and our future
8
staff completed the LGAQ Diploma
course since 2005
Range of professional backgrounds, ages
– lets meet some of them!
Its
all about people
Its all about relationships
Its all about respect
Its all about empathy
Its
also about anticipation
… about being responsive
… about ‘future proofing’ the workplace
and our industry, and meeting
stakeholder expectations
Last
8 years
Steve Lundin’s FISH Principles
Resource Analysis and Capacity
Staff Lunches/Team Challenges
more… FISH
Business Excellence Framework
Self Awareness Programs – Steve
Griffith Leadership Development
Program
Team Development for whole Unit
Identified Training
Budget – wisely investing in
staff
Sabre Corporate Development
• www.SabreHQ.com
Belbin
Individual & Team Profiling
Team event over two days
• Communications
• Understanding how people tick
• Social, friendly and fear free environment
• Everyone has a say, and is listened to
• Finale – The Big Picture
Flexibility
– as needs basis
Job Share Arrangements in place
Secondments with both State & Private
• State Planning Department
• Large Private Planning Consultancy
Cadetships
– study support
Annual Staff Surveys
360 feedback
Open & honest conversations
Retained
talented staff
Quality Relationships
Great Team Culture
Open Conversations
Loyalty
Returns speak Volumes
Low turnover
Employee commitment & engagement
No Fear
Family oriented
Job Satisfaction - BIG time!
“The secret to higher
performance is
through lifting
employee
engagement levels.
The more engaged
the worker, the more
intellectually
committed they are
to the organisation”
*Perspective - Financial Review, 2006
Source: S. Jardine, 2006: Used with Permission
Branding
• As an industry we don’t do it all that well, do we?
• Individually some great marketing – What’s
missing!
Advert courtesy of Brisbane City Council
Got to get Smarter
Industry Summit on Skills Shortages
Disconnect between HR Managers
Trade secrets
Unwillingness to share
LG is competing with itself - improved
sharing
Recruitment - proactive and informed
Centre for Excellence
Smart people pick organisations,
not vice versa
Understand your employees’ needs and
build a culture to retain the best
Are we as an industry doing this well?
Leaders
are credible &
accessible
Reward & recognition for good
performance @ all levels
Communicate frequently & open
manner
Deliver on promises to staff (ie
“Walk the Talk”)
Have HR policies that support
organisational objectives rather
than fads
*source - DEWR
Source: S. Jardine, 2006: Used with Permission
The Challenge
“Industry of Choice”
An industry that competes for talent
and consistently wins.
It recruits, engages, and keeps the talent it
needs to meet or exceed its changing
business objectives
Adapted from Source: S. Jardine, 2006: Used with Permission
love ‘em or lose ‘em
Thank you
Leo Jensen
Member - Local Government Careers Taskforce
Member – National Skills Shortage Committee Steering Committee
[email protected]
More information:
Planner Survey Results
www.planning.org.au/qld
LG Careers Taskforce Project Manager
[email protected]